Friends step in to fill void of brotherly support for girl who lost her older brother in crash

MANILA, Ark. (KAIT/Gray News) - An Arkansas family says they are grateful for their friends who have helped fill the void left by the tragic death of a young family member.

It’s been eight months since the Curtwright family lost their son, Brady, in a crash.

Ashley Curtwright said it has been a difficult time, with her daughter, Nora, reluctant to return to school because she didn’t know who would take her first-day photo.

The siblings never missed the tradition of taking a first-day-of-school photo. It started with Brady, and Nora eventually joined in, even getting her own backpack to match his.

“He started to get older, you’d have that little bit of ‘Mom, do I have to take that picture?’ and Nora would be ‘Yes, of course,’” Curtwright said.

About a month before this school year began, Curtwright asked Nora if she was ready, but Nora said no.

“She said, ‘No, mom, you don’t understand, who am I going to take a picture with?’ and I said, ‘What do you mean, baby?’ and she said, ‘On my first day, who is going to take my picture with me?’ And all I knew to say was, ‘We are not there yet. Hang on, baby, we’re not there yet. We’ll figure it out,’” the mother said.

As it turned out, one of Brady’s friends had the answer.

Gabe Gonzales had been Brady’s best friend since seventh grade.

“Me and him could talk about deep stuff, funny stuff. Me and him were just great,” Gonzales said.

When Curtwright asked Gonzales if he would take a photo with Nora, Gonzales reached out to their group of friends.

“We have a group chat — we’re all in it — and I just texted it. I was like, ‘Who’s down to take a picture?’ And they were all down,” Gonzales said.

On the first day of school, Nora carried a photo of her brother and took a picture with him — then arrived at school to find all of Brady’s friends waiting for her.

“Trying to fight back tears for Nora. It’s just community,” Curtwright said. “When she saw them, there was no being scared. There was nothing but, I’m going to own this year.”

Curtwright said the town has supported her family throughout the past eight months.

“This community has been amazing. The outpouring of love, the way they show up. For eight months, they’ve never [stopped] fighting for us,” she said.

The family lost Brady last year in a crash while he was traveling from Manila to Jonesboro. He was taken to a hospital in Memphis, where he died from his injuries.

The mother said she rushed to the scene after receiving the call.

“I was a foot away from them. I heard them. I was there. I’m grateful for that. I needed to be there because my son never came home,” she said.

When it comes to moving forward, Curtwright said friends have become a part of their family.

“They will never fill the void from losing Brady. But they have become family because they loved him so much. They love us so much,” the mother said.

Both Curtwright and Gonzales said they hope to continue the first-day photo tradition every year.