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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMr. Shavers understood the importance of mentoring young boys.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n His son, \u201cthe other Mr. Shavers,\u201d said, \u201cHe loved kids. He was a Boy Scout as a teenager and a Boy Scout leader for close to 50 years. We would take in other Scouters during Boy Scout camp, and sometimes they would have special needs, and it didn\u2019t bother him a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As best friends do, Mr. Shavers stayed in contact with Carson, attended his birthday parties and special events, and saw him at school. The last time the two were together was at a Shining Stars pageant. Carson kept asking his mom if Mr. Shavers was coming, and she said when he walked through the door, Carson\u2019s face lit up like it was the brightest shining face ever. She thinks Mr. Shavers\u2019 face was the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The lifetime Scout\u2019s dedication and positive influence on the boyhood lives of so many was evident at his funeral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The other Mr. Shavers said, \u201cThere were Boy Scouts at the funeral I never knew existed, and I was in Boy Scouts all my years growing up. And when the associate pastor spoke, he mentioned heroes, and it just struck me that my dad was a hero.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Carson seconds that wholeheartedly and can show you Mr. Shavers\u2019 picture on his hero board, a bulletin board in his room with photos of his heroes. It was the first place he went when his mom told him his friend had passed away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was no hesitation when the Shavers family heard about the promise to Carson. Carson would get his ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a ride they\u2019ll never forget, filled with remembering and honoring all that was important in Mr. Shavers\u2019 life and the friends\u2019 shared moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe rode around places where Dad would fish and hunt and some of the places that he and Carson talked about. Carson wanted to see the churches he had been to, and then I took him by where I grew up, over on Shadow Drive. I asked if he was hungry, so we went to Burger King. We had a good little ride,\u201d the other Mr. Shavers said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Carson agreed. \u201cMama,\u201d he said, \u201cI bet my best friend is smiling big, and I bet he\u2019s proud of me and his son, Bubba!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Jeep continues to represent the special friendship.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Carson\u2019s mom, Heather Brandon, said, \u201cI knew the Jeep was going to be sold after Carson took his ride in it, so I told Carson when he came home that he wouldn\u2019t get to ride in it anymore. He got so upset. But [the other Mr. Shavers and his family] gave Carson a diecast red Jeep just like Mr. Shavers\u2019 Jeep, and that Jeep sits under the table in the\u00a0living room. That\u2019s his and Mr. Shavers\u2019 Jeep, and he pretends they go riding in it every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Carson said, \u201cI want to tell everyone that Mr. Shavers was the best friend to me. He loved watching TV, and he loved me, and I love and miss him! The other Mr. Shavers, Mr. Bubba, I know makes Mr. Shavers so proud up in heaven for taking me in the Jeep. It was the best day of my whole life. The only thing that would have made it better is if Mr. Shavers would have been with me and Mr. Bubba. I just miss him!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indeed Mr. Shavers was with them on their ride. GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" IT WAS just a red Jeep, but it was a vehicle for healing and processing grief for two Shelbyville families. It was a symbol of celebration of a well-lived life, and for Carson Brandon, it was a reminder that his friend, Duran Shavers, would not get to honor his promise of a ride in it. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":17611,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/shelbyville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/06\/1-768x1024.jpg\")
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