I'm sure that those of us that are parents hope that, by age thirty, our children will have achieved some success and become what they wanted to be whether it be a doctor, lawyer, plumber, or whatever suits them. Justin had achieved his success, he was a lineman. Then, soon after age thirty, he became something nobody wanted, a statistic! I,m here today to turn that statistic back into a human being, my son. Justin was kind of a wild teenager with no direction to go in. Then,one day a friend of mine asked if Justin would like to earn some money helping him do a job. My friend was a mechanic and the job was climbing into an old truck tank and scraping the rust and scale off, a miserable job. During the job, my friend had to leave to get parts and the owner of the truck returned to find Justin working away, with no supervision, instead of goofing off. He was impressed and asked Justin if he wanted to work for him full time. He saw something in Justin that other's hadn't seen and Justin felt it. They became very close during those years and he felt like he had a second family. It was during this time that Justin did jobs that involved National Grid workers and they told him about the lineman's school that "the Grid" was starting and that he would be eligible to go. As excitng as the prospect was, he was extremely torn over leaving the man who had been so good to him to pursue the future that he wanted. This was Justin at his best, worried about his loyalty to a good friend over is own desires. In fact he has, many times, since asked me if he made the right decision. The rest, as they say, is history. Justin took to that school as a duck to water. He never finished high school but he understood the math with no problem. He not only understood what electrcity did, but how and why. Therefore he was able to think things through rather than just silently follow set procedures; a trait that cause him problems more than once. He even told me of an invention that he envisioned that would make it much easier and faster to repair a broken feed to a home and save the homeowner money on the repair. There is no doubt that Justin was born to be a lineman! Another and probably the most important facet of the career for Justin was his own self-esteem. He always had great respect for those who worked for the public good: soldiers, police, firemen, etc. When he went out in a hurricane or blizzard, worked 18 hours, slept 6, and went back and did it again, over and over, just so you and I could keep warm, cook food, or watch tv; he felt like a hero and he liked that feeling. Even now in movies and tv they are starting to realize that linemen ARE heros. They risk unbelievable dangers just to bring us the electricty that we are so dependent upon. No matter how much you know or how careful you are, the danger(and death) are only inches away. Think about this the next time you flip a light switch. What makes Justin's death so tragic is that it was such a waste.If he had died in the line of duty as much as it would have hurt, it would be understandable and expected but, this is just tragic. I recently returned to a practicing faith rather than the old"I believe in God and that's enough". Upon my return,I had questions and became compelled to look for anwers. among others, I read a book by a man who says he converses with God and for more reasons than I can go into here; I believe him. He said that God told him that he wants us to live the way that he lives which means that our hearts will be filled with ONLY 3 things: truth, joy, and love. God also said that He will never give up on us and even the very worst of us will live again until we fully understand that lesson and return to him.so, it becomes a matter of not IF we go to God but, When! It comforts me to believe that justin will be out there with another chance to use the good that is in him to create a better self until he can go home. When we stand here and talk about the ones that passed, we feel compelled to say what a perfect person they were espousing their virtues until it seems they need a halo. Let me tell you; Justin could be a pain in the butt. He was arrogant, loud, and stubborn( I'm not sure where those traits came from) but, he was also gentle, sensitive, loving, and loyal(we all know where THEY came from. all in all, good and bad; he was my son and I loved him. Being a parent is hard. Doing and saying the right thing is hard.One wrong word or phrase, no matter how innocent can leave a lasting impression on a child. Along with the things I should have said and the things I shouldn't have said, I made a colosso mistake. All his life, Justin strove to be special; I never made him understand that he ALREADY was!

I would love to send my deep condolences to you & your family during the lost of Justin. Justin was a friend i will never forget. You will deeply be missed.

Justin, i want to say good bye. You was a great friend i have ever met when you came down here to houston to work. I will really miss you. May God be with your family during this moment.

My condolences to the Thibeault family, sorry to read of Justin's passing. I know this unexpected loss has brought great sorrow, and God's word assures us that Jehovah God does care when we lose a loved one in death. (1 Peter 5:7)

I am so sorry for your loss. May God's presence be with you and God's grace comfort and heal you. Blessings, Rev. Ruth

Justin, and family we are sending our love prayers and condolences with heavy hearts. Justin became a part of a larger family and was welcomed with open arms here in New Jersey. He will be missed by many.