Killeen Daily Herald
HARKER HEIGHTS — Perhaps it was only fitting to have Jack Noyes’ memorial service on a baseball diamond.
More than 400 people gathered at Cox Field on Thursday for a memorial service in honor of the former Harker Heights High School baseball player whose struggle to overcome paralysis had gained national attention.
Noyes, 20, died Sunday in Temple’s Scott & White Memorial Hospital after suffering an apparent heart attack brought on by a blood clot.
He is survived by is father, Paul Sr.; his mother, Yi-Cha; and his brother, Paul Jr.
“Paul not only belonged to our family, but he belonged to the entire community of Harker Heights,” Paul Sr. said. “Our house wasn’t big enough to hold him, so God has taken him home.”
Jack’s death brought an end to 18 months of grueling rehabilitation, endured after he fractured the fifth vertebra in his neck during a collision with Montgomery High School’s Drew Tucker in a bi-district game on May 3, 2003.
Initially paralyzed from the chest down, Jack had battled to regain feeling below his elbows and minimal control of his hands before falling ill on Christmas Day.
Many of those who were inspired by his much-publicized efforts paid their respects on Thursday, completely filling the infield to surround a small podium at home plate.
In front of the podium stood several floral arrangements, along with Jack’s No. 7 jersey in a glass case. Photos of him from infancy to adulthood, were arranged in two small displays on the left-field fence.
At the microphone, friends and loved ones offered songs, poems and messages of faith to ease the pain. But tears were readily apparent throughout the crowd of mourners, many of whom were clutching photos of Jack in his baseball uniform.
“Jack wouldn’t have wanted any of you to be sad today,” said Paul Sr. when taking his turn at the podium. “He would have wanted you to remember him for the type of person he was — always smiling and always happy.”
With the service concluded, the Noyes family was quickly surrounded by well-wishers who offered a lengthy procession of hugs.
“I’m so sorry,” whispered a woman into Paul Sr.’s ear.
“Let us know if there is anything we can do,” a man told him shortly thereafter.
Standing near the pitcher’s mound, Paul Sr. was the focus of much of the attention, taking time to smile and thank everyone who greeted him.
“Before Jack died, I whispered to him that I was selfish,” Paul Sr. said. “I told him that I wanted to keep him here, but that God wanted him more.
“Now God has him, and now he has his reward.”
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