Support Pours In For Family Of Yorkville Boy Who Died In A Crash

Oswego IL

05 August, 2021

6:00 PM

Description

OSWEGO, IL — Monday afternoon, a car crash on Route 71 forever changed the lives of a local family. Joey Burdiak, who lived in Yorkville with his family, died in a two-car collision. He was only 13 years old when a white Ford pickup sideswiped the SUV he was in, causing fatal injuries. "Nobody has the words because there really are none," his godmother, Dawn Smith, told Patch. "He's really going to be missed. All our hearts are just kind of shattered right now." A day after the crash, she created a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Joey's funeral. The $10,000 goal was met in less than 24 hours, and more than 350 donations were made in the two days since, raising about $17,000 by Thursday afternoon. Smith said the family has been overwhelmed with the amount of support the fundraiser received. "The outpouring of support from the community, I never imagined ... to see the love and support the family's been receiving," Smith said. "We're without words." Born in Joliet, Joey was "that kid that everybody liked," said Smith, who's also Joey's mom's cousin. He was a quiet but good kid, and when someone would ask him to smile, Smith said he'd put on "that silly little smirk." An avid fan of Queen, Joey also loved Bon Jovi, something he got from his mom, Tammy. He would also play Minecraft "24/7" and was big into video games, Smith said. "He was just the sweetest, kindest kid you could ever meet," she said. With the COVID-19 pandemic raging, Smith said it made it harder to see her godson. The last time they saw each other was at his 22-year-old sister Kelcie's wedding in May. The two were "peas in a pod," Smith said, noting that it's rare for two siblings to be as close as Joey and Kelcie were. "Watching Joey walk down the aisle with his mom, he was really proud to be with his momma," she said. "It made my heart really happy. I'm kind of at a loss for words because he's such a good kid. You never expect to be doing this." Smith said she still remembers the day her cousin asked her to be Joey's godmother, a role she was proud to take on. "I took that as the most precious gift — that wasn't something I was going to take lightly," she said. "I was proud to be his godmother, and he was a joy to be around. He's definitely going to be missed and carried in our hearts forever." GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner. (For more news and information like this, subscribe to the Yorkville Patch for free. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. Don't forget to like us on Facebook!)