Family gathers at UC Davis Medical Center to honor 20-year-old before organ donation surgery
More than 100 loved ones gathered at UC Davis Medical Center to say goodbye to Ronnie Joe, a 20-year-old construction worker who died after being hit by a car, as he prepared for organ donation surgery
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
More than 100 family members and friends gathered at UC Davis Medical Center to honor 20-year-old Ronnie Joe Franklin Jr. before his organ donation surgery following his death after being hit by a suspected drunk driver while working at a construction site in Eureka.
“To see that poor little sweet boy in that condition. I just don’t know what went through his mind in those moments,” said his mother, Sequoyah Hudson.
Hudson shared that her son was looking forward to his 21st birthday in November.
“He didn’t even get to have his 21st birthday. It’s in November. And he was really excited about his 21st birthday too,” she said.
On Sept. 16, California Highway Patrol said a suspected drunk driver crashed into Franklin on Highway 101 in Eureka. Officers arrested 26-year-old Selah Town on the suspicion of driving under the influence. She was later released on bond.
After Franklin died of his injuries, Town was arrested again and booked on murder charges in Humboldt County.
Franklin and his girlfriend, Jessie Driggs, had moved in together earlier this year. Driggs described the loss as devastating.
“He was my daily life. We would wake up together, we would go to sleep together,” Driggs said. “We did pretty much everything together. We really were like, two peas in a pod.”
Family and friends reflected on cherished memories of Franklin.
“We spent a lot of, a lot of seasons at the softball park. And he would crawl. He would climb all over the bat, the cages,” Hudson said. She added, “Pchhhh like, ‘Mom, how come my webs aren’t working?’”
Hudson also described her son as someone who loved deeply and was a loyal friend.
“He was that guy that loved hard and was a loyal friend and he was our Peter Parker, too,” she said.
Driggs recalled a special moment in their relationship.
“We were kind of just sitting there watching the city lights and kind of like turned around,” she said. “You can tell he was nervous, so nervous. And he’s like, ‘Will you be my girlfriend?’ And, you know, I was like, ‘Yeah, of course.’”
Franklin’s decision to become an organ donor is now giving others a chance at life.
“So young, so strong, he’s taken so much care of himself and his health that like, he’s the golden child of organ donors right now, which really made us feel real, really good. And that he had chosen to be an organ donor. Like those three factors are super critical for these people,” Hudson said.
Driggs expressed the deep loss she feels.
“That was my life. And a part of me went with him and a part of him. You know, it’s in all of us now, but we feel stripped just as much as he does,” she said.
As they said their final goodbyes during his honor walk, Driggs shared a heartfelt message: “He was so hardworking and motivated. We love you so much Ronnie, we love you so much.”
Franklin’s family said they are unsure what life will look like without him, but they are committed to facing it together and keeping his legacy alive.
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