Shattered Hearts, Fulfilled Souls

Hundreds of mourners turned out to remember a young woman known for her compassion, acceptance and love of Jesus Christ. 

Baylee Holbrook’s funeral took place Saturday afternoon inside the gymnasium of Palatka Junior-Senior High School, where the 16-year-old was a junior. The teenager died on Sept. 28, two days after she was struck by lightning while she and her father were hunting.

While most people at the memorial service wore black, many more wore green, her favorite color, or camouflage to honor her love of hunting. Her mother, Casey Holbrook, expressed gratitude for people showing up for the family Saturday and in the days since her daughter was injured.

“As I look around this room and look around this community and all the posts and everything that has poured in, “thank you” is not a word that’s enough,” Casey Holbrook said. “We have been beyond blessed through all of this.”

Casey Holbrook, like everyone else who spoke, looked back fondly on Baylee’s strong devotion to God and her mission to share his love with as many people as possible. 

Coming second to her love of God was Baylee Holbrook’s love for her family and friends, the teen’s mother said. She said her daughter’s love for people is why she was so adamant about bringing them to Christ. 

“What I am 100% sure of is that you have always had a heart for Jesus and told everyone who would listen,” Casey Holbrook said. “And for all those that wouldn’t listen, well, you told them 10 times over and invited them to church. My heart is shattered missing you, but my soul is so full knowing where you are and that I will see you again.”

Matt Holbrook said his daughter made him hold himself to higher standards in all areas of life. She “crushed goals and set standards” for herself, outdoing what people twice her age and older had accomplished, he said. 

He looked through his daughter’s cellphone In the days since her passing, he said. From the messages he saw, he knew she loved people and that they loved her in return and without obligation, he said 

“I always thought my entire life I was teaching you and leading you, and I had no idea the entire time you were doing the same to me,” Matt Holbrook said about his daughter. “From a little girl, the way she looked at me and held me on a pedestal, it changed me. It made me want to be such a better man – a husband, a father, a person.”

Rather than be sad, Matt Holbrook said he would like to always remember his daughter’s love and compassion and want everyone to recall how she positively impacted their lives.

“I pray that everyone remembers that smile. It certainly made my day, and I’ll never forget it,” he said. 

Giving the eulogy, the Rev. Karl Flagg said Baylee Holbrook’s actions and life spoke for themselves, given the massive support her family has received. 

Rather than being concerned with how she died, Flagg said, everyone should focus more on how she lived and the love she showed to others. 

“Our name identifies who we are,” he said. “That’s why someone, when the name ‘Baylee’ is called, people light up because she recognized and she represented love. She represented unity. She represented that bridge that would link the unknown with the known.”

Flagg acknowledged the Holbrook family’s need to heal. To do that, he said, they will need space to work on themselves. Most importantly, the family will need to lean on God, Flagg said. 

“This family not only needs our prayers,” he said. “They need some space away from us. They need some time because this journey requires healing. We can’t heal them. God can.”

Before the memorial service began, Palatka High Principal Cathy Oyster reflected on the days that have passed since her student died. Everyone at the school – students and employees alike – loved her and have been doing their best to process their grief and keep her memory alive, Oyster said. 

“The students, the faculty and the staff are still feeling the tremendous loss of Baylee,” she said. “They’re trying to get more involved and more inclusive.”

Oyster has been astounded by the tributes to Baylee that have come from within the school, within the community, and from other counties and school districts. 

Palatka High students have been making prayer walls and other memorials, Oyster said, and they were instrumental in having prayer vigils last week and leaning on each other for support. 

Meanwhile, she said, football teams have been wearing green ribbons on their uniforms and schools have been sending messages of support. 

This is Oyster’s first year as principal of Palatka High. While this is not how she planned her first semester to play out, Oyster said she has found a few silver linings surrounding the immense loss she and the school have been feeling.

“I feel very blessed to witness this,” she said. “While it’s a tragic situation, a lot of good has come from this. You realize you’re not in this alone.”