To Leslie Turner, Lincoln Burgess was more than a student, he was “the sweetest soul” she has ever known. The 5-year-old who greeted her with winks and hugs died last week in a car wreck in south Habersham County.
Lincoln was buried today along with his aunt Cynthia Wade who also died in the wreck on GA 365 at Mt. Zion Road on October 29.
“If I had known when you said ‘can I have one last hug’ on Friday before you walked out the door that it would be our last, I would’ve never let go,” Turner writes in an emotional online tribute to Lincoln.
His pre-K teacher at Habersham Head Start in Baldwin, Turner tells Now Habersham, “I actually prayed that he be put in my classroom this year because I fell in love with his infectious personality and just him in general from the moment I met him when he gave me a wink.”
The little boy with the big cheeks and even bigger heart had that effect on people.
“Lincoln was on the Autism spectrum but that didn’t get in his way,” says family friend Breanna Strickland. “He was such a sweet, kind, and happy child who loved everyone he met.” He was the first to rush over to comfort those who were sad and, according to Turner, greeted every day with joy and excitement.
“The teachers would all rush to his car when he got there in the mornings because they all wanted to be able to walk him to class,” she says. “Same thing in the afternoons, a rush to see who would win the race to get to walk him to his car. He made everyone feel special.”
It is that specialness that Turner and so many others now sorely miss.
“My heart is shattered and empty and aches walking in the school each day. The little reminders that you aren’t there sneak up on me,” she writes. Still, in her grief, she finds reason to celebrate the hilarious, witty, old soul she knew Lincoln to be and the many lessons he taught her.
“You taught me to love unconditionally, say sorry first, forgive immediately and never hold a grudge. You were wise beyond your years.”
Coping
Lincoln’s 9-month old brother Hudson was gravely injured in the wreck and remains hospitalized in Atlanta. The boys’ mother, Jessica Burgess, says her son was put into a medically-induced coma and placed on a ventilator to help him recover. He’s in the pediatric ICU and is expected to remain in the hospital until December.
“Hudson needs prayers,” his mom tells Now Habersham. She says there’s been “little to no change” in his progress. He’s developed a fever and required a blood transfusion.
The community continues to rally around the family, offering prayers and financial support. Clearview Baptist Church in Cornelia has scheduled a fundraiser for next weekend and online fundraisers have raised nearly $7,000 to help cover funeral and medical expenses for the Wade and Burgess families.
“We are so thankful for everything our community is doing for us,” says Burgess.
As family and friends prepared their final goodbyes, the depth of their loss became even more achingly real. Baldwin Head Start closed half-day Monday so that students and staff could attend Lincoln’s funeral. They wore his favorite color, red.
It’s important to Turner for people to know that Lincoln’s mother always took great care to make sure her children were properly secured in their car seats. If not for that, both boys might have died. It’s a sobering reminder, she says, “of how crucial car seat safety truly is.”
To help Lincoln’s classmates cope, his teachers left his classroom cubby with his name and picture on it. Now, when they’re missing him or thinking of him, they can draw him a picture or write cards and letters and leave them in his cubby.
Turner’s open letter to her former student ends with a pinky promise to “honor you and your memory forever.”
“There are some people you meet in life, that you’ll remember forever and they will have a lasting impact,” she writes. “Lincoln Malcom was that person to everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. He made life better.”
