This is a difficult yet very important story. Tragedy, in whatever form it takes, is an unfortunate part of life. The recent floods in Texas remind us that tragic events can and do happen frequently, turning our world upside down in unimaginable ways. We hope this story will be helpful and inspirational for those dealing with loss, and possibly, help someone avoid extreme sorrow.

A friend reached out a few weeks ago, asking us to consider telling the story of her friend, Amy Childress. At the time, Amy, her mom, sister, and a close friend were in New York City for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)’s Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk. Over 2000 people from all over the United States participated. Held at night, the 17-mile walk through Manhattan ended at daybreak and raised $2.9 million for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. 

Amy’s youngest son, Garrison, at 21 years old, took his own life on January 3, 2023. Participating in this event is one way she strives to get through the pain and anguish, while raising awareness, and hopefully, helping others avoid what she and her family have endured... Those who have lost a child, under any circumstance, can relate to the pain, but suicide is complicated to comprehend.

Amy is open about discussing the events leading up to the fateful day, and talks about how she has managed to cope after  Garrison’s death. I appreciate her candor and can sense this is part of the healing process. She is also upfront regarding her 13 years of sobriety, which she says is the best thing she has ever done for herself. 

We discuss mental illness and depression, and how difficult it can be to recognize things that can lead a person to take their own life. Amy is a nurse and team leader at Thomas Hospital in the Cardiovascular Intervention Unit.  Every day, she puts her head down with a smile on her face as she provides patient care, but thoughts of Garrison are never far away.

“I went back to work six weeks after Garrison died. The work was healing, but as soon as I left the building, I’d break down and sob. The days and weeks after the incident are a blur.” Garrison took his own life in their home after both of his parents had left for work. “We couldn't sleep in our home immediately after what happened.” A close friend with a large home offered his entire upstairs area for the family to stay the first week or so after his death.  

She tells me that when they moved into their friend’s home, he pulled her aside and told her, “I have no way of knowing what you are going through, but please listen to what I’m about to say. I’ve never lost a child, but I did lose a sister in a tragic accident when I was 14, so I know what it’s like to lose a sibling. You can fall apart, or decide to trudge through together as a family. Your son, Chancellor, needs his parents.” 

Emery Childress, Amy’s husband of 31 years, has a long, rich family heritage in Baldwin County. Their oldest son, Chancellor, is two years older than Garrison. Garrison was an all-star athlete at Fairhope High School before attending the University of Alabama on a partial academic scholarship. He was popular with lots of friends and lived with Chancellor and another friend when he first enrolled in the School of Education. Chancellor graduated a year before Garrison’s death.

“The acceptance part is hard,” says Amy. “As a mother, you are always asking questions. Most of it is irrational. You have to constantly remind yourself intellectually that it wasn’t your fault.” As a family, she tells me they have never wavered. “It’s been hard; we all grieve differently. We can’t change what happened. We have a community of unbelievable friends who have helped us manage each day.”

Garrison’s depression wasn’t on display. At school, his academic standing was strong, or so Amy and Emery thought. After his death, they learned that Garrison hadn’t been going to class for about three semesters, but it didn’t catch up to him until after his Fall semester in 2022. He told his parents he was going to sit out the last semester of his Senior year because a class he needed to graduate wasn’t offered in the Spring. 

“He had been thinking about this for a while, but we didn’t know it. He didn’t want us to waste money on him enrolling the next semester because he knew he wouldn’t be there.” Garrison told his parents he was going to work with his dad in the construction business and return to school the following semester. Chancellor became engaged over the holiday break, and everyone was in good spirits. 

On the day Garrison ended his life, his dad left early as usual to get the construction crew going. Garrison was supposed to be there at 7 am, but didn’t show up or call. Angry, Emery called Amy to tell her that Garrison had not shown up for work and wouldn’t answer the phone. They both assumed he had overslept or perhaps his phone battery was dead, which was a common occurrence. Garrison and his dad were close. They hunted and fished together, and Emery was involved with both of their boys' lives throughout.

When Amy arrived home that afternoon, she found Garrison deceased in his bedroom. Toxicology reports showed no alcohol or drug use. His transcripts showed he had stopped going to class, and it took three semesters before he received any academic notifications that he risked being dismissed from school. Because of Federal laws, parents do not receive grades for their children.

Amy looks back and remembers that COVID created a lot of isolation, and Garrison seemed to spiral down a black hole. They pulled him out of school in the spring of 2021, and he began working with Emery. He seemed to come out of his depression and appeared normal for over a year. He returned to college, and Amy and Emery thought he was back on track. Garrison never revealed he was depressed or asked for help.. 

After his death, Amy’s younger sister, Molly Stone, who is a professional fundraiser for non-profits in Birmingham, suggested that they create a memorial scholarship through the Community Foundation of South Alabama in Garrison’s memory. The past two years, beginning in May 2024, two $2,500 scholarships have been awarded each year to a boy and a girl graduating from Fairhope High School. “People really stepped up to donate,” says Amy.

A few months later, the family started a separate nonprofit foundation with the mission to raise awareness for mental health and suicide. The Edward Garrison Childress Foundation was created. Partnering with AltaPointe Health, the only mental health organization in Baldwin County, the EGC Foundation raises money to provide vouchers for mental health sessions for eligible students and young adults. The vouchers pay around 90% of the cost and are awarded based on an individual’s needs.

“Molly was thinking of a  bigger picture, and, as a family, we wanted to create something that would benefit others and keep Garrison’s legacy alive.”  The EGC Foundation hosts two large fundraisers each year, a clay shoot in the fall at Bushy Creek Clays and Events in Perdido, Alabama, near Bay Minette, and a golf tournament in the spring at various golf clubs in the area. The first golf tournament was held at the Lakewood Golf Club at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear. 

“Both events have been very successful, and we cleared upwards of $30,000.” With the funds raised, the EGC Foundation supports our scholarship fund annually through the Community Foundation of South Alabama and helps pay for the mental health vouchers at AltaPointe Health. Amy says they also sponsor the Out of the Darkness Community Walk in Daphne, AL, held in October, hosted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. There is also an annual Pensacola Out of the Darkness Community Walk, which will be held on September 20 this year.

“We decided as a family that Garrison’s life’s purpose would be to help people better understand mental illness and prevent suicide. Child loss is awful. We went into this looking for help and realized that Garrison’s loss of life can help others. We want to help others not go through what we have experienced.” 

Amy tells me she has done a lot of research into mental health and suicide. “You’d be shocked at how many parents have lost children between the ages of 18 and 30, especially boys. It’s a very uncomfortable subject for people to talk about. We hope to make it more acceptable. It’s a healing process for us to do something positive out of our tragedy.”

“We know a lot of people now who have been through similar situations. In our circumstances, we feel like Garrison considered suicide for a long time. He didn’t want us to know he was struggling. He put on a facade to make us believe he was okay, but he wasn’t. Our family’s tragedy touched a lot of people. They saw us as a regular family. We are relatable. People think, "if it can happen to them, it can happen to anyone.”

The University of Alabama holds a memorial service at the President’s Mansion each Spring for students who have died during the year. Amy received an invitation to attend in April 2023, but says it was just too soon after Garrison’s death. She did look at the obituaries of each of the 12 students being remembered that year. All but two didn’t list a cause of death. “I don’t know how many succumbed to suicide, but getting the word out on where to get help may save a life.”

Holidays are hard, and they have begun traveling a lot to get a reset and a break from reality. “I call them grief naps,” she says. In New York, she was inspired by the number of people who traveled there to participate in the national Out of Darkness Overnight Walk. 

“At the end of the route, there were luminaries, paper bags with candles lit, decorated with all the beautiful smiling faces representing each suicide. That was powerful. If I have to live the rest of my life without my child, I’m going to go and do something to help someone else.”

The goal of the Edward Garrison Childress Foundation is to raise awareness and reduce the feelings of shame surrounding severe mental illness in young adults. Suicide is the third most common cause of death in high school and college-aged people. 

Please consider contributing or participating in the upcoming events. It’s lots of fun, and Amy says last year’s clay shoot had a waiting list, so they hope to go from 25 team slots to 50 team slots this year, which will be held on October 25. The golf tournament will take place in Spring 2026, with the date to be determined. Please visit the EGC Foundation’s website for updated info and registration. Join Amy and Team Garrison, and other participants at the Together to Save Lives walk in Daphne on October 12, 2025. 

Thank you, Amy. May Garrison’s memory live on and encourage others to walk out of the darkness and seek help and understanding.