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Friend builds garden in memory of teenBy JOUNICE L. NEALY © St. Petersburg Times, published January 14, 2001 Just after Thanksgiving, Jared Fought passed by Feather Sound Community Church and saw a spot that looked empty.
"I loved him just as much as anybody," said Jared, 16, who used to volunteer at Vacation Bible School with Coombs. "He was the first one to come up to me and say hi," Jared said. So he decided to build a memorial garden that will be dedicated today at the church, which is located at 13880 Feather Sound Drive in Clearwater. "I'm doing a memorial garden in his name so people who knew him can be reminded about how great he was and people who didn't know him will maybe get to know him," Jared said. The garden will include a birdbath and statue, a memorial stone, snow bushes and flowers. It will be in an open area between the fellowship hall and the sanctuary, near the sound room, where the two once worked together. For his work, Jared also will earn credit toward becoming an Eagle Scout. One of the requirements is to complete a service project. Jared said his first idea, a picnic shelter, fell through. But as for this project, "God put it on my heart," said Jared, who attends Northside Christian School and is in the 10th grade. He has spent 34 hours on the project so far, having received donations of materials from the church and local companies. "We're very pleased with it and we think it's very appropriate because (Derek) was our No. 1 person in leadership and well-respected by everybody," said Pastor Charles Massey. "The church still is kind of mourning his loss, even this far." Derek was killed Jan. 16, 2000, in a skiing accident at the Massanutten Ski Resort near Harrisonburg, Va. His sister, Michaelina, said they hit the slopes without lessons and were surprised at how well they had done. Derek had even tried Paradise Run, the most difficult slope, and had done well. But a later attempt was fatal. He hit a pole. "As a parent and a family, we still obviously suffer. But . . . it is good to know that he is not forgotten," said his mother, Anastasia Coombs of St. Petersburg. At Feather Sound, Derek participated in the sound and children's ministries. He loved to cook and even had his own food dehydrator and food processor. Derek once won $100 in a bake-off. But most of all, "he loved the Lord," his parents said. Mrs. Coombs said that about 30 people accepted Christ or rededicated their lives after Derek's funeral. "When God gives you a circumstance, you need to be ready," she said.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
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