‘It’s a hard thing, burying a child’: Nashville pastors provide space for grieving parents

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — There is a growing list that only represents a fraction of the families left shaken after burying a child too soon.

So far in 2024, at least 38 teens have been hurt by gun violence, according to Metro Nashville Police data. It’s a pain known by many — including Pastor Samuel Orr.

“I’m pleased. I’m blessed,” Orr told News 2 while listening to a song written and rapped by his son.

As he sat in The Rock United Ministries Church, Orr reflected on his son’s dedication to music.

“When I did his eulogy, I said, ‘He made his own name,'” Orr said. “His recording name was ‘Shyst Wayne,’ so on his tombstone, we got Samuel Dewayne Orr Jr. ‘Shyst’ Wayne.”

September marks the one year anniversary of his passing. Orr said that while he was not except from the devastating loss of his child, he was blessed to have someone in his life who knew exactly what he was going through.

Orr and elder Larry Powell said that, though they did not ask for it, they have a connection. When Orr’s son died on the same day, one year after Powell’s son, they found a bond they couldn’t break.

“Birthdays come around. Holidays — the table’s empty now,” Powell said. “I lost a son from gun violence. Lost a daughter. And I lost another son from suicide.”

In June, 2022, Malia Powell was stabbed to death outside of a Walmart bus stop also in north Nashville. Three months later, Powell’s son Jawauntez Powell was fatally shot at a corner mart in north Nashville.

“What keeps me going is that I don’t want to see another parent, another father, bury their child,” Powell said. “It’s a hard thing, burying a child.”

That’s why the two men are coming together under one roof to bring together parents who have also had to bury a child.

“We’re honoring our sons, but we’re honoring other people’s children as well,” Orr said. “For one night, I want them to be able to say, ‘Thank God for these two pastors coming together for a time like this.'”

Powell and Orr have asked all parents who have lost a child — through gun violence, through drugs, by suicide, or by murder — to join in the event. It will take place on Sunday, September 8 at 6 p.m. at The Rock United Ministries. The Rock United Ministries is located at 2422 Alameda Street in Nashville.

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