Editor’s note: Lee Benner shared the following story at town hall meetings in Clancy and Boulder on Oct. 24 and Oct. 29, respectively. The meetings, organized by Jefferson County Prevention Specialist and DUI Task Force Coordinator Barb Reiter, focused on the challenges facing youth today. These are Benner’s speaking notes, which have been lightly edited.
My husband and I lost our son, Corey, to alcoholism a year and a half ago. Alcoholism isn’t selective on who it kills. Corey, who was 33 when he died, started drinking alcohol in his teens. He was incredibly unique and talented. He lived in Belgrade, was married, owned a beautiful new home, and worked at his dream job building and customizing vehicles. He had everything going for him but lost it all.
Corey was one of two sons my husband and I raised. We enjoyed a wholesome, middle-class life with our sons at the center. I was a stay-at-home mom until the boys neared middle school. They played sports. They built and flew radio-control airplanes, sang in the church youth choir, and played in the school band. They had two sets of adoring grandparents who spoiled them. We took them rafting, backpacking, four-wheeling and hunting. Sounds like a fulfilling childhood, right?
