Family, friends mourn loss of Franklin teen killed in crash
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, December 11, 2002
Charismatic, respectful and funny are just a few of the words O.J. Edisons family and friends used to describe him Friday. O.J., a 16-year-old Franklin boy who died following an automobile accident Monday, was the type of person who would drop everything he was doing to go and help someone else, said his cousin, Jerry Taylor. Every time I needed him, he was there, Taylor said. He was like a right-hand man to me. Taylor is also the co-director of Franklin Funeral Directors, where the visitation was held. The funeral home was filled with flowers, and one of bouquets had a ribbon that read Class of 2005. An additional visitation ceremony was held Friday night at Franklin-Simpson High School, where O.J. was a junior. After O.J. moved to Franklin two years ago from Adairville, had no trouble making friends. People loved being around him, Taylor said, because of his quick wit and kind-heartedness. He was a sweet guy who didnt meet a stranger, said his aunt, Regina Miles. He just won over everybody. He had a natural charisma, said another aunt, Kimberly Mason. And a zest for life that attracted people to him. O.J. was with friends, excited about a trip to the Mammoth Cave area, when the accident happened. As the kids were on fall break, Corey Reed was driving his children along with O.J. and a few other friends when Reed lost control of his sport utility vehicle on Gold City Road. The family speculates that Reed must have swerved to keep from hitting something, but police have not yet released a definite cause of the accident. Reed, who was 41, and his three children, Caitlynn, 14, Sarah, 12, and Corey, 10, also died from injuries suffered in the crash. One of the other kids, Brandon Russell, 15, was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center and released. Another, Jeremy Sublet, 16, is in critical but stable condition at Vanderbilt. A moment of silence will likely be observed at Franklin-Simpson High School Monday, according to Tim Schlosser, a football coach and vice principal at the school. O.J.s name will also be placed on a plaque in a memorial garden out in front of the school, he said. His funeral will be at 1 p.m. today at Townsend Grove Baptist Church, with burial in Townsend Grove Cemetery in Schochoh.