Autistic Elgin boy 'in the arms of Jesus' now
A standing-room-only crowd packed Grace Evangelical Church in Elgin Friday morning to pay final respects to Joel Hasken, a 12-year-old autistic boy who was full of energy, loved the mail and mail carriers and had faith in Jesus.
Joel died Feb. 12 from a brain tumor, but not after postal workers from Elgin made him an honorary letter carrier after a parade in front of his east side home earlier that day.
At his funeral Friday his parents recalled better times before Joel was diagnosed with cancer a couple months ago.
Joel's father, Lloyd, recalled good times camping, hanging out at the pool and playing hide and seek, when Joel inevitably would give away his hiding spot by laughing out loud.
"I know he's up in heaven and he's going to find all those hiding spots," he said.
Joel's mother, Faith, recalled some of the struggles of raising an autistic child, but noted how she could get Joel to do simple tasks like putting on his seat belt by making it a family race.
"The biggest memory for me is just laughing with Joel," she said. "I know the first thing Joel is going to say when we get to heaven is, 'I beat you.'"
Faith Hasken recalled how Joel, the middle of her three kids, loved to drench his food in ketchup, ride his bike, sometimes refused instructions so he could learn on his own and enjoyed getting the mail because it was part of a daily routine.
"He had his own way of learning and he wanted to figure out things on his own sometimes," she said. "He just loved to (get the mail). That was his thing, whether bills got lost or not."
During the services, his cousins placed notes and letters in a white mailbox next to his gray coffin, which was flanked by flowers. Dozens of mail trucks accompanied the funeral procession to Bluff City Cemetery in Elgin.
Church Pastor Dave Bohyer said Joel's life on earth may have ended but a new one has begun in heaven.
"Joel was very active. That is an understatement. He was very friendly. That's an understatement. And he loved to laugh," he said. "Joel was taken up in the arms of Jesus Christ, the safest place in the world and the most loving place in the universe."
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<li><a href="/story/?id=359037">Elgin boy, 12, loses battle with cancer <span class="date">[02/13/10]</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/story/?id=358789">Postal workers deliver well wishes to ailing Elgin boy <span class="date">[02/12/10]</span></a></li>
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