Social media notice to encourage participants in a vehicle convoy from Westfield to West Springfield in honor of Justin Messier (Photo obtained via Facebook)
WESTFIELD–Friends and family of the late Justin Messier gathered in the Super Phipps parking lot yesterday afternoon to pay their respects–by driving in a convoy.
The Gadsden flag signed by mourners.
Messier, of West Springfield, died Saturday night in the Russellville Road car crash and was honored by around 90 people who came to drive in a convoy from Super Phipps in Westfield, to Toomey O’Brien’s in West Springfield. The event was organized on Facebook by Messier’s friend, Jason Scribner.
“Everyone here knows him one way or another,” Scribner said. “We’re just here to pay our respects.”
Scribner said that the convoy was created because this is how Scribner, Messier and others in attendance knew each other.
“This is how pretty much how we all met, through trucks or off-roading,” Scribner said.
Convoy preparing to leave.
The trucks and other vehicles were adorned with a variety of flags, but the most frequent were Confederate, American and Gadsden flags. There was also a Gadsden flag in the back of one vehicle where mourners could sign their names. On other vehicles words of loss and mourning were written on windows.
An anonymous person at the gathering said that police allegedly refused to assist the group, so they had planned on blocking traffic and allegedly running red lights with their hazards on. Once the vehicles went to leave, one truck adorned with a Confederate flag, blocked the flow of traffic on one side to let the other vehicles from the convoy onto Route 20 in Westfield.
Jake Hawley of Westfield, who was a friend of Messier’s and was also in attendance, was not surprised by the large turnout.
“He was a kid with a constant smile on his face,” Hawley said. “He would literally sit there and do whatever he could to make you a happy. Just an all-around great guy.”
Hawley said that what he will miss most about Messier is his smile.
“My favorite part about him was his smile,” he said. “He had a chipped tooth and when he smiled you couldn’t help but smile, too.”
Nikki Batrandi, also of Westfield, said that Messier was also a caring person, which drew people to him, as well. She recounted a story about him when Messier and her were dating.
The crowd assembled for the convoy is spoken to by one of the organizers.
“He wanted a duck so bad and they didn’t have any at the Tractor Supply store. So, we drove an hour and a half to get ducks,” she recalled, laughing.
Batrandi said that the ducks were something that Messier always wanted, and he cared for them immensely.
“He would sit on the couch and the ducks would just sit on his legs,” she said. “They followed him around and he always wanted to put them on a leash.”
Messier was 24 years old.
