Klee, Russell Jr.

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My name is Ashley Lopez, I am the Director of Operations for Solar Energy Labs in Jacksonville, Florida and the Vice-President to Lilli's Light Non-Profit. I was born in Marlboro, Massachusetts November 11th, 1984. Our parents are Russell and Deborah Klee. I also had a younger brother, named Russell- born August 27th, 1986.

My brother, Russell, died at the age of 34. He was a gold medal winner in Massachusetts for Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA); ranked 8th in the nation for competition for woodworking. He got his Bachelor's degree in criminal justice, but chose to continue in cabinetry instead as he truly enjoyed doing it. In his career in cabinetry, he had amazing opportunities to work in luxury homes; building many one-of-a-kind pieces. He was a movie buff and his favorite genre was horror. He had a passion for history and trivia. He loved helping others, but nothing compared for the love he had for his family and friends. He was always smiling no matter what. Kids gravitated towards him, but the love he had for his niece and nephew no one could touch. Our dad was his best friend and hero; they were always in the wood-shop making something.

Growing up, he always looked up to me as any younger sibling would. He would always make me go with him to pick out his clothes to make sure he looked "cool". His comfort food was macaroni & cheese, but only if I made it. One of our favorite memories, that we seem to talk about often, is one Christmas that it didn't snow in Massachusetts (that is rare). Russell and I got roller blades for Christmas. We went out on our driveway and put on our knee pads, elbow pads, and helmets; and started practicing. I caught on real quick. Russell needed a hockey stick in each hand to help keep him up. When that didn't work, he threw a tantrum like any boy would. It is a memory we share fondly.

Those are some of the good things I remember about my brother. My brother also had his demons. He was an alcoholic; Vodka was his drink of choice. He would also use marijuana occasionally, which he knew I was okay with. His drinking caused me to have to cut ties for two and a half years. He was fighting hard to break the hold alcohol had on him, and was leaning more on the marijuana to help him do that. The last dime bag he bought, however, the night he died, was laced with Fentanyl and Xylazine (Horse Tranquilizer). It killed him instantly. The Medical Examiner's Office let us know that my brother had enough Fentanyl in his system to kill at least 10 people. My parents and I pray he did not suffer and went peacefully.

His "friend" left him laying on the corner of his bed, took all evidence, and left him. His roommate checked on him before he went to bed at 11:00 PM, November 6th, 2020. He saw my brother passed out on what he thought was a "binger", and went to bed. Something woke him up between 4:30 to 5:00 the following morning, and said to check on Russell. My brother hadn't moved and was cold to touch. Our lives changed on November 7th, 2020. On November 11th, my parents and I were saying good-bye to him at the funeral home, which was also my birthday. Two weeks before he died, I had told my husband I wanted to reconnect with my brother, when he would message me on my birthday. Despite the gap we had, we never missed a birthday. Instead, I was kissing him good-bye and making my final promise to him. On May 8th, 2021, we buried him in the family plot in Sudbury, Massachusetts- once the ice melted- saying our final good-bye and returning him home.

This journey of pain, grief, and healing is a long fought and ever developing one. I had no direction and a lot of negativity towards myself in my heart. Meeting Wendy, and being a part of Lilli's Light is my way of healing; and I am ever grateful to Wendy for giving me this path in life. To be able to keep my brother's memory alive, and hopefully prevent other families from experiencing the same tragedy we did. Now I fight, along with many other family members who have lost someone; and together, we keep all their names and memories alive so they will never forgotten.