PALATKA, Fla. – The Palatka High School community came together Friday to honor the life of a 15-year-old football player who suddenly passed away from a possible cardiac arrest.
It was a “blue out” for Robert James Gillon III at the season’s first football game.
The number 8 was all over the field on shirts and helmets to show support for Gillon’s family.
Gillon’s father, Robert Gillon, called the support a “beautiful thing.”
“Palatka came together and smother[ed] us with love. We could feel the comfort like a blanket,” he said.
Police said Gillon complained of chest pains before going to practice on Aug. 12 but still participated. He returned home later that day, and in the early morning of Aug. 13, he was found dead.
“He’s my only biological son, and I wish I had 100 more sons just like him, by him being so impactful when it comes to the community,” Robert Gillon said. “So when it comes to the way, how he carried himself, conduct himself, I wish it was not just 100 but 1000 more.”
Robert’s family participated in the coin toss at the beginning of the game. They called tails; the coin landed on tails, which felt like a sign to Robert’s mother, Dedra McCormick.
“I think it’s common to pick heads, but he wasn’t common, so I think that he would have picked tails too,” she said.
Dedra McCormick said at first, the shower of love from the community was overwhelming but she was thankful to see how much her son was loved.
“He really was a good kid,” she said. “And I think about how we raised him up and everything; he really was a good kid, and it shows so I’m very proud of that,” she said.
William McCormick, Robert’s stepfather, described the teen as a humble kid who did everything from the heart.
“He didn’t need to be praised. He did things out of the kindness of his heart. He had a God-like way about himself where he didn’t need the praise or the accolades. He just did it because he knew it was the right thing to do,” McCormick said.
Robert’s teammates also said they planned to dedicate the football season to his legacy.