"It was totally devestating," says Carolyn Kelley.
When Kelley received the phone call from her family in Las Vegas on December 9th, she was shocked.
She explains, "They found my nephew who had just turned 20. He had been shot in the head and his body had been wrapped in plastic and his body was thrown out like trash."
The news came as a surprise, because many described David Pettis as a person who got along with everyone.
"He was always smiling, always happy," says Kelley.
In the midst of dealing with this death, the family was hit with even more devastating news.
"Immediately after my husband had learned that our grandson had been killed, he started going down," says Juanita Pettis.
Just ten days after the death of her grandson, Juanita Pettis lost her husband, also named David.
"I think this was just more than he could take," says Kelley.
The two had been married for 61 years.
"I'm still just walking around in a daze," says Pettis.
After back to back deaths, the family had no desire to celebrate the Christmas holiday.
Kelley says, "This is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year and this is just a time that we would like to forget."
The family says all they can do is take it one day at a time.
"Without the prayers and everything we've gotten from all our family and friends we would not have made it through this at all," says Kelley.
At one of the toughest points in their lives, the family is trying their best to find the positives in such a unfortunate situation.
Kelley says, "The only peace that I have is knowing that they are in heaven with Jesus."
If you would like to donate to the family you can do so at any Wells Fargo Bank, under the Benefit Memorial Fund for David Pettis. The account number is: 3318876640.
When Kelley received the phone call from her family in Las Vegas on December 9th, she was shocked.
She explains, "They found my nephew who had just turned 20. He had been shot in the head and his body had been wrapped in plastic and his body was thrown out like trash."
The news came as a surprise, because many described David Pettis as a person who got along with everyone.
"He was always smiling, always happy," says Kelley.
In the midst of dealing with this death, the family was hit with even more devastating news.
"Immediately after my husband had learned that our grandson had been killed, he started going down," says Juanita Pettis.
Just ten days after the death of her grandson, Juanita Pettis lost her husband, also named David.
"I think this was just more than he could take," says Kelley.
The two had been married for 61 years.
"I'm still just walking around in a daze," says Pettis.
After back to back deaths, the family had no desire to celebrate the Christmas holiday.
Kelley says, "This is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year and this is just a time that we would like to forget."
The family says all they can do is take it one day at a time.
"Without the prayers and everything we've gotten from all our family and friends we would not have made it through this at all," says Kelley.
At one of the toughest points in their lives, the family is trying their best to find the positives in such a unfortunate situation.
Kelley says, "The only peace that I have is knowing that they are in heaven with Jesus."
If you would like to donate to the family you can do so at any Wells Fargo Bank, under the Benefit Memorial Fund for David Pettis. The account number is: 3318876640.
