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Accident
Claims Trona Man's Life
By David L. Johnson
A bright young life was suddenly
gone from this earth when Isaiah John Kendall, 19, of Trona, died Wednesday,
June 5, 2002.
Kendall was driving
his 1994 Chevrolet sedan eastbound on Inyokern Road in the slow lane, west
of Jacks Ranch Road when, for unknown reasons, he veered through the fast
lane and into the center divider.
Overcorrecting, he
lost control of his vehicle, which swerved across both eastbound lanes,
nearly overturning as it entered the eastbound shoulder. |
Leaving the roadway,
the vehicle’s roof struck a power pole, directly over Kendall’s seat. "He
was killed instantly," said California Highway Patrol Officer Frank Vierra.
Grieving friends
and family members remembered Kendall as a young man of great promise who
had dedicated himself to his faith.
"Our son Isaiah was
our gift from God, and God was gracious to give him to us for 19 years,"
said his parents. "Isaiah was a bright and shining star who touched everyone’s
life who he came in contact with."
"One thing that people
have asked me about," said his minister, Pastor John Vessell of the First
Baptist Church in Trona, "is why. Why at such a young age would someone
be taken from us?"
Vessell said he could
only reply, "I can’t answer. Only God can answer that. But the one thought
that has stayed with me is that if anybody was ready to meet God, Isaiah
was ready."
"He made the most
out of the 19 years that God gave him. And his legacy, his influence, is
going to live on way beyond the end of his life. And that’s what he will
be rewarded for. He’s still earning dividends."
"A lot of people
would drive by an accident like that and hear that it was a 19 year old
and assume that beer bottles would be found on the floorboard," Vessell
said. "But instead what was found were a Bible and Gospel literature."
"That says it all
about the kind of young man that Isaiah was. He loved God, and he wanted
other people to know God like he knew God."
A lifelong resident
of Trona, Kendall was born Feb. 1, 1983, in Ridgecrest. He was the valedictorian
for Trona High School Class of 2001. He earned a second-degree-recommended
black belt in Taekwondo, was honored as Student of the Year in 10th grade,
won the science fair and had many other accomplishments in his young life.
"Our son wanted everyone
to be saved and know the Jesus that he loved with all his heart," said
his family. "Isaiah was a Christian and really had a heart for people."
A faithful member
and worker at First Baptist Church in Trona, Kendall involved himself in
the church’s music and youth ministries. He was a student of West Coast
Baptist College in Lancaster, where he was studying to become a pastor.
"He was a young man
who loved his church, and he loved the Lord," said Vessell, who remembered
that as a leader of his church youth group, Kendall had a strong love for
the youth of today and was empathetic with the pitfalls and trials ahead
of them.
"For me personally,
he was a real blessing because he always wanted to help me any way he could.
He just had a servant’s heart."
Sometimes people
are busy with quantity that they lose track of the quality of life, Vessell
said. "The important thing is that we all make the most of every day that
we have. Isaiah did that. He knew what God wanted him to do with his life,
and he was doing it. He was doing it."
Family members also
remembered Kendall as "an awesome son and brother" who "truly lived his
life for his Jesus and always tried to do what was right."
Most of all, Isaiah
loved children, and every child who knew him was so taken by him and his
presence. Isaiah leaves behind his beloved Sara, the love of his life,
and the woman he wanted so very much to marry.
Kendall is survived
by his parents, Randall D. and Rachael Kendall of Trona; brother, Randall
Dean Kendall Jr. of Trona; grandparents, Jesus and Raquel Ordaz of Thatcher,
Ariz.; fiancee, Sara French of Thatcher; and numerous aunts, uncles and
cousins.
Funeral services
were held June 11 at First Baptist Church of Searles Valley, Pastor John
Vessell of First Baptist officiating. Interment was at Searles Valley Cemetery
in Trona, and arrangements were by Holland & Lyons Mortuary. |
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