Joshua Benjamin Goforth, 29: Had been drug-free for six months; killed in a car accident

Joshua Goforth had been clean for six months. His father took him to his first Narcotics Anonymous meeting. His son didn't object. He was married and had a 2-year-old son that he wanted to provide for, to watch grow up.

The about-face for the 29-year-old man, who had abused drugs since he was a teen, appeared to be sticking.

"He embraced the program, got clean and had a great job," said his father, John Goforth of Canton. "He was working and was turning his life around and it was something he wanted to share. He was clean and sober at the end."

On Wednesday, Joshua Benjamin Goforth of Canton was driving home after pulling two 12-hour shifts at a tire factory in Cartersville. He apparently fell asleep at the wheel, relatives say, and crossed the center line on Ga. 20 at Water Tank Road in Cherokee County.

His 1991 Honda struck an SUV head-on. He died at North Fulton Hospital. A memorial service has been held. Northside Chapel Funeral Directors and Crematory in Roswell handled arrangements.

Mr. Goforth was born in Garland, Texas, but moved to metro Atlanta with his family when he was 11. He attended Roswell High and Independence High schools in north Fulton, then earned his GED.

Mr. Goforth liked to read and write. He especially enjoyed science fiction and adventure stories. One of his favorite authors was Kurt Vonnegut, especially his novel "Slaughterhouse-Five." He even had a phrase from the novel tattooed on his lower left leg: "So it goes."

When it came to his prose, the Irish-Italian wrote fiction, "mystery thriller-type stuff like the TV shows ‘Lost' and ‘24,'" said Aleigh Essex Goforth, his wife of four years. "I have all his writings. He was working on a screen-play on a [Mafia hitman] named Richard Kuklinski. One of his favorite shows was the ‘Sopranos.'"

Mr. Goforth didn't attempt to pretty up the past when it came to his drug abuse. Likewise, he wanted everyone to know about the path he was on, how he'd been sober for several months and had all intentions of staying on the 12-step program. He regularly attended NA meetings in Acworth, often with friends in tow.

"He took to it," his wife said. "He was dedicated to his recovery and had been clean since Sept. 11, 2009. He did it for his boy and his family. Everybody who knew him knew about the struggle he had. His main goal was making his family and son proud and we were proud of him."

Mr. Goforth had been working at a tire warehouse in Cartersville since November. It was a way to pay bills until he could move on. There was talk of college, maybe Kennesaw State University to study psychology or psychiatry.

In his demise, relatives have stressed the importance of sobriety and how much it meant to Mr. Goforth. They don't want any friends who might abuse drugs to use his death as an excuse. Instead, they want them to seek help.