B.J. Madaris' family rallied for him as he struggled this year to graduate. Then they gathered for his funeral.
By MARTY CLEAR
Published June 13, 2003
WELLSWOOD - A year ago, young Branden James "B.J." Madaris seemed unfocused, even more than most 17-year-olds. He dropped out of high school and didn't know where to go with his life.
It wasn't easy, but with the help of a large and loving family, some exceptional teachers and a devoted girlfriend, B.J. got back on track. He finished his last year and a half of high school in just one year. He graduated from Jefferson High School on May 28 and was days away from starting his first "real" job working construction.
But his life, which everyone said was full of promise, ended June 6 in an accident on Interstate 4 near the Hillsborough Avenue exit. He was 18.
He was returning home from his grandfather's place in Seffner, his parents said. He apparently came up too fast behind some rush-hour traffic and tried to swerve. He lost control, flew across the median into eastbound traffic, spun and hit another teenager's car. B.J. was ejected and run over.
Minutes later, before the police had a chance to close the interstate, his uncle, Paul Miller, happened to drive by and recognized his nephew's wrecked car. The police hadn't found any identification, so Miller identified the body.
B.J. died instantly. No one else was seriously injured.
"When he left this world, he died with his dignity, because he didn't hurt anyone else," said his mother, Elizabeth Miller. "My son would never, ever have wanted to hurt anyone."
Family members are still reeling from his death but they're grateful for the life of the young man who they say helped keep the family close.
"Everyone pulled together for him," his mother said. "He brought us all together."
B.J. was the lifelong best friend of his half-brother, Patrick Krumbholz, and much like a son to his grandparents, aunts and uncles.
Several relatives had divorced and remarried, including his own parents who divorced when he was a baby. As a result, B.J. grew up with two sets of parents, four sets of grandparents and a slew of half-siblings and step-siblings.
Some young people might have grown up feeling they had a fractured family, but B.J. took the attitude that he had more people to love and more people to love him, his relatives said. That attitude rubbed off on the rest of the family, who became closer than ever because of their shared affection for him.
After growing up with his mother in Wellswood, in Central Tampa, B.J. moved to his father's home in Plant City when he was 13.
"When my baby decided to leave me five years ago he broke my heart," his mother said. "But I'm so glad now. I had him all to myself for 13 years. Then the rest of the family got to see what a handsome, loving boy he was."
B.J. dropped out in the middle of his junior year but he soon realized that a diploma was important to him. With the help of his aunt, Marie Miller, who works at Jefferson High School, he got into the school's accelerated program.
He moved in with his aunt and uncle in Tampa and made up the half-year he missed in order to graduate with his class. He had passed the test for a GED a few months ago but turned it down.
He wanted a diploma.
"We're very proud of him for that," said his father, Ricky Madaris. "Nobody thought he would graduate this year."
Support from the family helped, but B.J. also had some great teachers at Jefferson who helped him stay focused. So did his girlfriend, Akenia Caraballo, who encouraged him to keep working toward his diploma.
Teachers were so impressed with the former dropout that several spoke at his funeral. One was so smitten with B.J.'s artistic talent that she had arranged a meeting with an art teacher.
"He could draw anything," said his aunt. "His Spanish teacher was going to have him meet with a friend of hers from the Academy of Design. But I never got the chance to tell him about that."
