Hundreds attend funerals of teenagers killed in car accident
Hundreds of family, friends, classmates, neighbors and community members gathered Saturday afternoon to say goodbye to two young members of the community who were tragically killed in a single-car accident six days prior.
Travis “TJ” Jenkins Jr., 18, and Andrew Sheppard, 16, were remembered for their kindness and leadership.
Jenkins, 18, would have been entering his senior year at Port St. Joe High School in August. He is remembered not only as a stellar athlete, but as a leader within his teams and his school and a young man deeply dedicated to his faith and to his family.
Sheppard, 16, would have been entering his junior year this fall, and his coaches say he was expected to take on leadership roles on his teams in the upcoming seasons.
Those who knew him described Sheppard as being a hard worker, dedicated to his family and to his friends. He was a member of both the school’s football and weightlifting teams and was known for his reserved but kind demeanor and his friendly smile.
The funerals, which were held four hours apart, both in the Port St. Joe High School Gymnasium drew hundreds of mourners dressed in school colors. Teammates of the boys wore their jerseys and many wore “Tiger Shark Strong” T-shirts, which were sold to raise funds for the boys’ families.
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.