As mourners entered the Lawrenceville Church of God Saturday they saw Jared and Jaison Brown together, a familiar sight amid the saddest of occasions.
Eight days had passed since Jared, 17, and Jaison, 15, died from injuries sustained when the 1992 Honda Accord driven by the older sibling collided with a PT Cruiser on Harbins Road in Gwinnett County.
An overflow crowd, estimated at around 1,200 people, attended their funeral in what amounted to a community-wide memorial to two brothers who made a difference.
Jared, the steady rock, and Jaison, the big personality, were remembered as role models who made friends across the social cliques that divide most teen-agers. Their love of soccer, and for their Dacula High School teammates, was on full display during the service.
Perhaps the most touching tribute came from older brother Devin Chisholm, who recalled his final words to Jaison. The 15-year-old was pronounced dead on October 30th but remained hooked to a respirator at Gwinnett Medical Center so his donated organs could continue functioning in advance of surgery performed last Monday.
“Go save some lives,” Chisholm told him.
One day later, Jaison’s heart was transplanted to a patient in Maryland.
Check myajc.com for full coverage of the funeral.
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