Pvt. Dustin R. F. Small Obituary (1989

PALMYRA--Dustin, 19, a beautiful young man with a huge heart, passed away unexpectedly Tuesday, June 30, 2009, due to injuries suffered in a motor vehicle accident. Dustin was born December 1, 1989, to Fred and Catherine (Fuller) Small. He received his diploma from Nokomis Regional High. He enlisted in the Army in September of 2008. Dustin completed basic training at Fort Jackson and AIT at Aberdeen Proving Ground before being stationed with the 2nd HET 360th Transportation Company at Fort Carson in Colorado. He was awarded the National Defense Service medal, Global War on Terrorism Service medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and achieved Expert in Rifle Marksmanship. He is survived by his father, Fred Small and his daughter, Kaycee; his brothers, Derrick and companion Kim, Tyson and Forest; his mother, Cathy Nelson, her companion Henry Stratton, all of Palmyra; Henry's son Hank of Plymouth; Henry's daughter Ginger, and fiance Mike, and their children, Joseph and Avery, all of Augusta; Morgan, his forever love, of Newport; maternal grandparents, Donna Fuller of Skowhegan and William and Debbie Fuller of Randolph; paternal grandfather, Wayne Small of Palmyra; aunts, Kara Fuller of Randolph, Rosa McGrail, her sons Joseph and Christopher and her companion, Tom Breingan of Solon; Pam Fuller and her children, Tricia, Paul, Patrick, and Cailee of Skowhegan; Caroll Davis and friend Joe of Brewer; uncles, Raymond Small and wife Bonny of Canaan, Alan Small and wife Patty of Palmyra, and Dorian Small of AZ; and the family dog Chevy. Thank you Warren, Ronnie, and his best friend Trevor for Dustin's home away from home. Dustin is also survived by and will be greatly missed by many more aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and "battle buddies". Dustin was predeceased by his paternal grandmother Marie Small; his uncle Alan Fuller, of whom he had great respect; and his cousin, his hero Jon McGrail. The family extends a heartfelt thank you to Sebasticook Valley Hospital Emergency Services as well as to the life flight crew who cared for our son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, and friend. Your efforts were tremendous and appreciated. Dustin was a young man full of life, love, fun, and adventure: a person who was always there to give, and rare to take. In the spirit of helping others, Dustin wished to be an organ/tissue donor. Due to the severity of Dustin's injuries, donation was not an option. In lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions to the New England Organ Bank, One Gateway Center, Suite 202, Newton, MA 02458-2803, or please consider organ/tissue donation. To do so, designate yourself as a donor on your driver's license or ID and make your wishes known to family and friends. Please visit www.neob.org for more information. Friends and family may call from 3 to 5 P.M. Monday at Crosby & Neal, 117 Main Street, Newport, where military funeral services will be held 1 PM Tuesday, July 7th, with Pastor Al Worden officiating. An Army honor guard will assist in committal services following the funeral at East Cemetery, Skowhegan.