The National Addiction Memorial honors the loved ones we’ve lost.

Ken Zerbe, my father, was a strong, proud, hard-working man. He valued honesty more than anything. He also valued privacy. He was truly brilliant with his hands, and could build or fix anything. A real genius that way. He was also a sweet and loving person, but never hesitated to stand up for himself or those he cared about most. He was hilarious, with a dry and goofy sense of humor. He was the type of person who was incapable of sitting still. Even into his mid-50s, he had more energy than folks half his age. More than anything, he loved my sister and me, his dog, and his work.

Karyssa had a personality to make people she just met feel like a lifelong friend or even part of her family. She was always the type to be more concerned over others' well-being above her own. She had an infectious smile that would brighten a room. She was a gorgeous young woman, even though she didn't believe it herself.

Joshua was my third child. I loved him very much and miss him soooooo much. We lost him and his wife to a heroin overdose together. The main thing that hurts the most is they left behind a beautiful baby girl. They are not here to share her life with them and us. Heroin is the devil . He will always be forever 21 his wife Amber forever 18. Love you both. Gone but not forgotten

Josh was an amazing man. He selflessly helped not only the recovery community but anyone in need. His smile and laugh was contagious. He had the unique ability to help ease the pain of anyone suffering. He carried the message of God and loved Him with all his heart.

He was an intelligent man with a variety of interests and hobbies. He had a witty sense of humor and could make me laugh regardless of how I felt. Josh was highly creative and seemed to be able to accomplish whatever he put his mind to. Josh enjoyed reading so he taught himself to read at 4 years old. When he was 12 years old he wanted to play guitar so he taught himself that, too. Josh had an interest and special talent for fixing and building computers and he learned he could make a living at it, too, so he began his education in computer science. After Josh graduated high school he attended technical and county college focusing on computer science. He had earned his A+ Certification with an above average score. He had been employed as a Network Technician at local computer and network repair business.

Josh loved animals, fast cars and sports. He also loved his family and was afraid to die. He was my best friend and I miss him so much everyday.

Josh was the light in any room he set foot in. He loved life and was passionate about music, science and the future. He always put his family first and made each and every person feel like they were the only people that mattered while he was with them. He had the most easy-going personality and kind spirit. He was a rare person who could make you laugh until you cried. He was my greatest source of laughter and joy and now a part of this world is grieving the loss such a wonderful and special young man.

Joseph was one of the most amazing people I have ever known. He was a wonderful husband and father to our son Devin Joseph. What I miss most about him is his infectious smile and silly laugh most of all being able to call on my best friend for whatever whenever.

Jose was always the life of the party. Everyone knew him and wanted to be around his silly, sparkling energy. Jokes, animals, baseball, politics, religions, world history, love, dreams, and the possibility and potential of the future were all topics constantly discussed by our exceptionally intelligent friend. His favorite thing on the planet, aside from his friends and corny jokes, was music. Jose was a key player in the Indianapolis music event company IndyMojo, he managed their street team and constantly brought new faces into the group by spreading his love and enthusiasm for electronic music everywhere he went. He grew up in Shererville, Indiana with two beautiful sisters, a brother, and wonderful parents that love him deeply. He was brilliant, compassionate, romantic, hilarious, hard working, optimistic, and the best friend that some of us have ever had. He is still loved and will be missed every single day by his family and friends.

Jon grew up in Pleasanton, Texas. He loved music, movies, video games, skateboarding, and binge watching Friends. He was beautiful, kind, and very intelligent, often too smart for his own good. He was loyal, trusting, and would give the shirt off his back. Even at his lowest of lows, his greatest downfall was the caring for others before his own needs. Jon was shy by nature, but he would eventually open up to those he got close to, allowing them to see his beautiful, kind soul. He had a great sense of humor, loved to make those around him laugh, and was quite the practical jokester. He loved having “that’s what she said” contests with his mother. He was extremely artistic and loved to draw and paint, although he always doubted his ability. His artistic abilities stretched past the canvas and into the kitchen with his creative dishes, two of his favorites being Ramen noodles with Hot Cheetos, Chef Boyardee raviolis with cinnamon and enchilada seasoning. You knew Jon was having a good day and feeling happy when he would look at you…smile…and give you two thumbs up.

Jonathan was the most caring, loving person you'd ever want to meet. He was all about peace, and caring for one another. He touched so many lives in his few 18 years with us. He loved all animals, making tye dyed shirts for his friends, cooking, and he had a real green thumb. He loved making people laugh. He had a job in which any position the manager put him in, he would do his assigned job, with no questions asked. He was just a couple of days away from going to a culinary school, and on the day of his funeral, a company he applied for ( for a second income), called to say Jon got the job. Jon was just at a major turning point in his life when he went to an electric music concert. Jon either took a combo of illegal drugs, or someone put something in his drink. He left the concert with none of his friends by his side. He got ultra hot outside ( it was 20 degrees outside). Jonathan walked onto the expressway, and was killed. His 'friends' were no where to be found.

He was intelligent, funny, charming, attractive, rebellious . . . He thought a lot about science, philosophy and life. He loved old school R&B. He liked watching South Park, House and The Walking Dead. He loved his black cat. He sang to the radio. He was a good cook. He was getting really good at calligraphy.

Born in Livingston, New Jersey on December 24, 1946 to World War II veterans Gloria and Jay, of solid Irish stock, with whom Jack is now resting. Jack is the eldest son of his remaining siblings: Mary Grace, Daniel, Gloria, Maureen and David. Jack graduated in 1964 from Livingston High School and then majored in Spanish at The Franciscan College of Steubenville. After graduating class of '68 he enlisted in the Army where he served in Washington, D.C. as part of the Old Guard at Arlington Cemetery. In 1976 Jack would move to Colorado seeking adventure and a new path. An avid outdoorsman, Jack would always be found with a compass, maps, and a day pack ready to hit a trail. His environmental interests led him to begin a more than 30 year career with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency where he contributed to securing clean air for the nation. Jack pursued a love of science to receive a Masters in Environmental Science in 1983 from Colorado State University. Jack, an avid traveller, once hitchhiked his way through Mexico alone. Jack has been to every state in the U.S., and Puerto Rico, also once took the U.S. Forest Service Program, and could lecture all day long about geology, flora and fauna. On December 6, 1985; Jack married the love of his life Linda. He loved nothing more than to be in nature, at a ball-game, or philosophizing with friends and family. Jack and Linda were dedicated scout leaders, soccer and baseball coaches. Jack is survived by his wife, his two sons, Michael and John; his nieces and nephews; and the rest of his family and friends, and enters the chapter eternal of the Tau Kappa Epsilon brotherhood.

Johanna Elizabeth was our little sparkler born on July 1st. She was my real live doll I could dress in pink frilly clothes and play with her long curly hair before she became a tom-boy! Jo Beth.was a talented athlete from an early age, she was the most naturally gifted athlete of my four children – she instinctively knew what needed to be done on the field, pitch, or court. She loved competing. Her demeanor was deceiving, she had this innocent cherub cheeked casual lazy smile that hid the tiger beneath. She was a brilliant student without any effort, graduating high school a year early! She loved her family especially her two brothers and sister. She was proud of their accomplishments and told them. She loved tradition and family – She never missed a holiday, graduation, or birthday! She adored her grandmothers. Jo Beth was kind and loving. She brought home all kinds of stray animals much to our dismay! She was fiercely loyal friend. Jo Beth had the ability to reach out to others in need.

Jim was Funny, loving, caring,hardworking man

From the time I first met Jess, she had always been an outgoing, loving, beautiful, spontaneous person. She loved to be outside when the sun was shinning whether it was the beach or a park and be around those she cared for most. She had so much love for everyone to the point that no matter what you looked like or how bad your past was, at the end of the day if you had a good heart that was all that mattered to her. She was more than forgiving and never held a grudge. She loved everybody and her love always showed. She was always smiling when around friends and family, you hardly ever saw her upset or depressed. She was an inspiration to keep trying and never give up because that is how they win and you lose. She never gave up even when the whole world gave her endless reasons of why she should. She loved to write and could write for hours and was most certainly more than talented at it. Music was her everything and you could always catch her listening to many different types of music like The Grateful Dead, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, etc. She was an old soul that loved Mother Nature and her affection for animals was heartwarming. She loved her dog Mia and kitty Gimpy. We all think of her every second of every day because you cant just let go of someone who has made that big of an impact on your life.

Jesse was a one-of-a-kind person-- truly intelligent, fun, ambitious and carefree. The year he passed he planned on going back to school for addiction counseling. This kid was always running he was always doing something fun, or working he had stories for days. Before he died we were supposed to go see Lil Wayne live-I had even bought the tickets.

She was the love of my life she made some bad choices but that does not make her a bad person it makes her human I think I was the first man who didn't beat her a so called friend did that to her God sent her to my door at 2 in the morning. I've never seen some one beat like that. That night I made her and God a promise that no one would ever hurt her again and I would stay with her to the end, a promise that I kept.

My daughter Jennifer was very sweet, kind, loving, intelligent beyond her years. She was very creative. She had a beautiful voice, composed songs, and wrote poetry. She taught herself to play guitar and also played the violin. She was often called a "Flower Child". She always had her
guitar and loved to sing and lift people's spirit. She had an impish uncensored zest for life and was so funny and constantly made people laugh. She hated to see anybody sad or suffer even in the midst of her own pain and suffering.

Jennifer was a heroin addict. She hated her addiction and what it did to her, her family, and her friends. She so desperately wanted to stop. She finally got sober in the summer of 2015. She worked on her program, carried the message, and helped so many people. She was happier and healthier than she had ever been in her entire adult life. But it was just too much for her. Unfortunately, she relapsed and lost her battle on November 1, 2015.

It didn't take much to make her smile. She was very creative and always found ways to lift people's spirits with her incredible wit and sense of humor. She was so funny.

I miss her singing and laughter most of all. She had such a beautiful voice. She sang from the heart with love. I miss the way she used her gifts to lift others including myself.