Community mourns sudden death of 8-year-old
Sep. 8—ASHLAND — An elementary school in Ashland is remembering a young boy who suddenly passed away this week.
Bentley Braxton Holbrook, 8 years old, was a first-grade student at Crabbe Elementary School. He died Thursday afternoon of an unknown illness, according to his family and a local hospital.
"Bentley was bubbly," Uriah Tolbert, Principal of Crabbe Elementary, said. "He was a little shy when he first came here, but when you got him to open up, oh man. His smile was infectious.
"I called him 'Pork Chop.' It's one thing that me and his bus driver Mr. David Arthur called him," Tolbert said. "We deemed him that nickname and he would smile every time."
Tolbert said counselors from Ramey Estep Re-group, Charles Russell Elementary, Poage Elementary and Hager Elementary were at the school Friday to provide support to Crabbe students.
"Me and Ms. (Emma) Hensley went around to the classrooms and acknowledged what had happened," Tolbert said. "If any of them needed to talk to any of the counselors, we had seven available.
"This is my first experience losing a child during a school year," the principal added. "This one hits harder than anything. It's one of my worst fears as a principal. It hurts."
The Holbrook family told The Daily Independent that Bentley was rushed to King's Daughters Medical Center around 3:30 a.m. and was transferred to Cabell Huntington at approximately 4 a.m. on Thursday. Bentley passed away at 1:35 p.m.
Santana Diane Williams, his oldest sister, described Bentley as a smart kid who was nicknamed "Turtle" for his love of The Ninja Turtles movie. She said he loved Nerf guns, Fortnite and Minecraft.
"I was always taught to protect all three of my brothers, but yesterday my brother was put in the hospital over an unknown virus," she wrote in a Facebook post. "I sat by my 8-year-old brother's side in tears, wondering what I could do to help his helpless soul while he was laying there dying."
"He was special in every way," said Ethan Holbrook, Bentley's 18-year-old brother. "The way he would laugh made my day. His smile was so heartwarming, he was an amazing little brother. He's the best little buddy I've ever had and I'm gonna be so lost not being able to say I love you, little man."
Toni Crank, Bentley's first-grade teacher for the 2023-24 school year, said she's experiencing a range of emotions regarding the passing of her student. She described Bentley as a sweet, kind soul.
"Bentley was a sweetheart, he was so kind — always smiling," Crank said. "He was reserved and shy, but very respectful.
"I told the kiddos earlier when we are feeling sad and our hearts are broken, it's good to think about happy times and things that make us smile," she said.
"Last week, Bentley came to school with a brand new watch and he was so excited to talk about the watch, he wanted to tell me the time constantly," she said. "It got to a point where we designated him our official time keeper — that is a happy memory that I will always hold in my heart."
Another Crabbe teacher, Lisa Smith — who had him in her class last school year — remembered him as always being happy with a big smile.
"He was so proud of everything that he did. If he learned a new word or if he answered a question, his whole face lit up, he was just special," she said. "I remember when we went on a trip to the pumpkin farm in Grayson, it was his first time on a school bus and getting ready to get on that bus he was just shaking with excitement. The whole time I watched him he had this smile that would not go away. Seeing it through his eyes made it special."
Memorial service arrangements were not available as of press time.
(606) 326-2657 — ajohnson@dailyindependent.com
