A Rockwell family is reeling after the loss of its patriarch.
On Thursday, the Misenheimers said goodbye to Justin, who was taken off of a ventilator at Atrium Health in Concord, bringing to a close an arduous month-long stay at the hospital that began when he collapsed and passed out.
Justin’s mother-in-law Wanda said in a phone call that doctors determined his hospitalization to be a result of complications from non-alcohol cirrhosis of the liver. During his time at the hospital, bleeding issues and rising ammonia levels led to severe damage.
“He opened his eyes for just a couple of days,” his mother-in-law said. “He never really woke up to talk to us. He would blink his eyes but he was never able to squeeze a hand or anything.”
As noted in a GoFundMe started to help the family pick up the pieces of their shattered life, the family made the decision to pull him off life support at 2:40 p.m.
“He was only 39 years old and was the kind of man that would do anything to help someone in need,” that fundraiser says.
In fact, Justin’s final act was yet another display of the generosity his family and friends came to expect from the man that always put others first.
“Justin was the kind of person that would help anyone and I mean anyone,” his wife Talisha said. “He would give his last dollar or last anything to help people.”
According to his wife, Justin wanted to donate his organs to help as many people as he could.
“From day one to the last day, he wanted to help as many people as possible,” she said. “Donating his organs to help save someone else’s life would have meant the world to him. We are honored he wanted to help save someone else. It means the world to our family.”
That is just who Justin was though, according to Talisha.
“He was the best husband any one could ask for,” she said. “He believed that it was his job to support his family while I stayed home with the kids. I would say a more old fashioned kind of husband, always doing everything, never wanting to sit down. Always helping.”
That love also extended to the children.
“I believe Justin was the best father to these kids,” she said. “He raised three kids that were not his biologically. He never treated them any differently. They called him dad from day one. He would do everything in his power to make sure they had what they needed and wanted but most importantly he made sure they felt loved. There wouldn’t be one thing that he wouldn’t do for his children.”
Justin’s condition developed after he sustained an injury on the job in 2024, falling four stories and breaking almost all the bones on the left side of his body. He recovered and continued providing for the family right up until the moment that they had to call 911 and request an ambulance for him earlier this month.
With Justin now gone, the family faces many uncertainties including covering funeral expenses. The GoFundMe that was started for the Misenheimer family is for those expenses and to support them in the days and weeks ahead as they acclimate to life without their father and husband.
A link to the GoFundMe supporting the Misenheimer family can be found visiting the online version of this article.
