Adrian Cardenas

He would be beyond proud of you Dawn! He IS! I'm sure he's watching over you and is just amazed at how you keep living life to the fullest, and of course, are raising his beautiful babies into incredible young women! What happened was a tragedy, but what you've done with the pain and continue to do through those girls and on your own, is something so BIG & so BEAUTIFUL! You're definitely one of THE strongest women I know. I love you and am sending my love up up and away, all the way to Adrien....XOXO!!

I can't believe that in just a few hours it will be a year that you have been gone. Continue to look over your beautiful girls, your Mom, Dad and brother. Until we meet again, Mi Primo, you are missed.

I am so sorry for your loss Mrs. Cardenas. My heart goes out to you and your daughters. It is unfortunate that we were never able to meet. Adrian and I were best friends during college. He disappeared and no one from school ever heard from him ever again. I always kept looking for him. I searched for him online again today and was devastated to hear of his passing. I would love to speak with you. You can email me:
[email protected]

Heaven is a little brighter with Adrian there.

Adrian, you have always been one of my best friends. I have missed you since college. You were one of the greatest people I've ever known. I have so many fond memories of the times we spent together. I have never and will never forget you. I wish love and light to your family.

May we meet again someday.

<3

Maritza,

I am so sorry for your lost no words can take away your sorrow. I'm sure the Lord has Adrian in his hands now and he will be looking out for you...

God Bless you

Aurea Torres

Mrs. Cardenas,
It's honestly very hard to find the right words in this situation, but I can tell that you are surrounded by people that love and care for you and your daughters. I never had the opportunity to meet your husband in person, but having met you, I know you have the strength to pull yourself and your daughters through this. Don't forget that God has a reason for allowing anything to happen and you were able to enjoy many years with him and have been blessed with your daughters. Take care and I wish you the best.

I am so very sorry to learn of the tragic loss of your husband Mrs. Cardenas. I wish I knew what to say to you, but I just can not find them in my heart, knowing that you and your family are so sad. It is comforting however to read the beautiful postings from those who knew and loved him. I will pray for you and your girls, that the memory of him will keep you strong and that you will soon be at peace, knowing that he is in heaven looking after you and your girls.

I met you through George my son-in-law and Isabelle my daughter, I am so so sorry RIP, and watch over Ur little ones from Heaven....U will be missed....

You will be truly missed, my heart goes out to you and your family, Fondly.
Ms. Trimble, Maplewood Elementary

Dawn,

I pray the Lord comfort you during this difficult time of loss...I had the privilege of coaching and playing with Adrian for years. He truly was an amazing man...funny, passionate, caring, and just a good man. Just know that you have many of us praying for you and the girls. Rest in peace Adrian...

Dear Dawn,
So sorry for your loss. Words cannot express how I feel for you and the girls at this difficult time. Just remember all the laughs, fun, and great times you had together. Again, my deepest condolences to you and your beautiful daughters. Love you, Shelly

To Dawn and the girls, may God give you guys the strength that you need to go through these hard times. Adrian was a great father and a wonderful person. His legacy will always live.

Para Maritza, Mingo y Ariel, no encuentro palabras para poder aliviar el dolor que estan sintiendo con la perdida de Adrian. Simplemente le pido ha Dios que les de las fuerzas necesarias para seguir luchando con esas tres nietas tan lindas. Los queremos mucho y mi corazon me duele solamente en pensar lo que sufren en estos momentos. Adrian descansa en paz y siempre te recordaremos.

The thing that strikes me most when remembering Adrian is his smile...he was always smiling and always happy. He was an adoring father, beaming with pride at the sight of his girls. He always bonded with my son (now 5) getting a little glimse of the wildness of boys at all of the birthday parties and 5 minutes in, Charlie would be attached at Adrian's side. He was like the pied piper of kids....he had a gift. He loved children and they loved him, especially his own. Such a tragedy someone so good, taken so young. His memory will live on forever in his girls and his family. You will truly be missed. Please say hi to my dad up there...he loved you too.

All my love and prayers go out to you, Dawn, the girls and Adrian's dear family at this sad time...He was a great guy, a terrific Dad, a great life partner & husband, as well as a devoted son, brother and supportive friend for those of us lucky enough to know him...When Dawn brought him over to our house the very first time we knew right away he was the one for her...he was fun, easy to be around and had a smile that lit up the room...Maurille, my late husband, took an instant liking to him and they would "hang out" frying turkeys together , joking and laughing the whole time. I am sure Maurille was there when Adrian got to heaven to welcome him "home", fry a few turkeys and laugh about all of us...I will miss this wonderful man but I know his goodness and love for all will live on through his beautiful daughters and the great memories we all have of him...God bless you, sweet boy...

Thinking about you buddy. May your laughter and big smiles shine through your family. May the Lord strengthen them during this time of sorrow. We will miss you my friend.

Dearest Dawn,
There are no words to express our sincere sympathy to you and your beautiful daughters. You and your family are in our prayers.
Love,
Tara (Schaefer), Steven, Andy, & Meredith Grekin

Rest in Peace Adrian. God bless your beautiful girls and wife. Your memories will live on through the eyes and smile of your dear children...

Dawn - I grieve with you for your loss and pray that the comfort of family and friends will help to ease your pain. Stay strong for your beautiful girls. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Much love, Randi

Thinking of you Dawn and your beautiful children. Take your memories and cherish every one! I can't stop thinking of you, my dear old friend!
XOXO
Abbie "D" Kahan

Adrian was a very special person. He had a huge heart. Megan will always remember the days when Adrian pushed her and Skye on the tire swing outside your house. I was always impressed by his loving ways. He will be missed. May all the wonderful memories you have created get you through this difficult time. You are in our prayers. With love,
The Franco's

Adrian, may your soul rest in peace and may the love you have for your family shine down on them for the rest of their lives.

Adrian, you will be greatly missed. I really enjoyed talking to you and working with you all these years. You enriched the lives of all of our children as their Playball coach. They always looked foward to Playball with you. My heartfelt sympathy to your family. Rest in peace Adrian. Kathi Weitzner

May God keep you in His glory and bless your family with the strengh during this time.

One of my favorite memories of Adrian is when we were young kids and Maritza use to babysit my sister and I. Adrian would come out of his room very quietly and harass Ariel so sneakily so Maritza wouldnt hear him and then Ariel would be so loud and dramatic about it and Ariel would get in trouble everytime and Adrian would just laugh & laugh from his room and never did he get introuble.... Your family will be forever in our thoughts and prayers as they sturggle through this great loss...

Adrian, your goodness was felt by all whose lives you touched. In the simple words of our five year-old son Yair, one day last summer at Camp Playball: "You and my Papi are my two favorite men in the whole wide world." If that's not a testament to the caliber of person you were, I don't know what is. Your girls will be looked after by the "entire village" and thrive, basking in the memory of their most loving father. You will be missed by many.

A beautiful life taken way too soon, may God give peace to his wife, daughters, and the family left behind during their grieving. His spirit lives on through them. Wish I could make the services tonight, I will be sending prayers. RIP you were loved and will be missed by many.

Adrian, you will be greatly missed. I really enjoyed talking to you and working with you for many years. You enriched the lives of all of our children as their Playball coach. They always looked foward to Playball with you. My heartfelt sympathy to your family. Rest in peace Adrian.

Descansa en paz, Adrian. Tenemos tu sonrisa grabada en nuestros corazones.
Tere, Natasha, Katya y Julianne

Adrian,you will be missed dearly..I will never forget that wonderful smile of yours..Keep an eye over your beautiful little girls. Until we meet again..

I can't tell you the first memory of my brother - he's just always been there. Part of me, part of our little corner of the world. I can tell you that despite all of our differences of interests and talents, he was the greatest example of who I wanted to be like...as a son, as a person, as a man. Exactly what a big brother should be.
I got to live with him, Dawn and the girls for a few years, and really appreciated the time to relate as adults, exist in the same space together - actually enjoying it - and watching him grow as a father.
I'm going to miss him in the physical sense, but he is so much a part of me that it will be impossible to miss his presence...he will always be in the choices I make, the jokes I laugh at, and the man I am and the one I will be. I will always see him in the faces of his girls, and hear his wisdom in their words.
As our family of four is left with only three, I now carry the whole of my parents' expectations, but also the responsibility of taking care of them. I do it with pride and love, but also with his guidance and memory.
I love you, Adrian.

Adrian, I love you, sweetpea. I will raise our daughters with your heart and your kindness and your good ways. I promise! I will never let them forget how amazing their father was to them, and to the world. I'm gonna make it okay, babe. It's all okay now. Rest. You can be at peace now.

This is the poem I wrote when I married you. I'm gonna miss your smile. :)

Sweet Knowing Perfection

My safest harbor
silent glimmer to wondrous blaze
arms like dreaming blankets
smiles like shocks of endless sky
conversations pour honey on my heart
child in flesh awakens
pure love flourishes
equal peace
and boundless union abound
sweet knowing perfection

All I can remember about Adrian is the way he cared for his daughters and the way they clinged on to him for comfort and protection. I pray that his soul finds rest in the palm of our good Lord. May he always live in the hearts of his family and friends who loved him dearly. They will see you once again...

My son, Aidan, knew Coach Adrian. Aidan loved going to PlayBall every Wednesday when he was in preschool. He loved Adrian and looked forward to playing with his "cool Coach." Adrian meant so much to all of those kids & the parents were grateful because their children were learning sports and loving every minute. Adrian played a big role in our community and will be dearly missed. To Adrian's girls and Dawn, we are deeply sorry for your loss. We hope that knowing the love that so many children and their families had for Adrian will help you through. With love from Aidan & the rest of the Johnstones

The last thing I ever envisioned myself doing would be signing your guest book obituary page. You're the only person I've ever met who would always answer their phone by saying "yooo". I wish I had a dollar for every time you said "housekeeping". So many memories. On a positive note, atleast you dont have to worry about losing weight now I guess...Kidding.. But then again you and I could never take anything seriously anyway. I've known you for the last 25 years and we spoke nearly every day for the last 6 months up until now. I miss my friend. I know everyone says you're in a better place but I wish you were still in this place.

To the Cardenas Family I send you my deepest & heartfelt sympathies. As you well know, Adrian was a wonderful man, family man & great friend to many people. May he send much love from above & be a guardian angel to his beautiful girls. Rest in peace. We all will miss you!!

Because of my dad, I feel loved.
Because of my dad, I have confidence
Because of my dad, I know I am worth it.

Because of my dad, I feel beautiful.
Because of my dad, I have more laughter than tears.
Because of my dad, I know what a good man is.

Because of my dad, I feel sad today. 
Because of my dad, I have something to hold on to.
Because of my dad, I know I'll be okay.

To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die -Thomas Campbell

Adrian, you live in the hearts of all who knew you. You are loved and missed.

Dawn, When you look into your children's eyes may you take comfort in knowing he is always right there with you! God Bless you all!

Adrian was so kind. He touched Tatum and myself in such a personal way. He had so much empathy and treated her with an extra laugh or giggle when he saw her. He was the dad who stood by the bounce house entrance and watched the kids - always happy to be there! We will not forget him or his special soul. We love you dawn and girls. You are in our hearts.

To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die -Thomas Campbell

Adrian, you live in the hearts of all who knew you. You are loved and missed.

You will be missed! R.I.P. FRIEND!

Dawn, Please accept our heartfelt smpathies for your loss. Our thoughts are with you and your adorable girls during this difficult time.
REST IN PEACE ADRIAN.

Mi querida famila, no hay palabras que puedan llenar el vacio que sienten ni sanar el dolor pero lo unico que podemos hacer es estar aqui para ustedes y juntos pedirle a Dios que lo cuide por siempre! Adrian, your smile will always stay in my mind and in my heart, we will miss you forever. Rest in Peace. We love you! Betty, Nani, Xavier and Fabian.

Adrian, my long time friend. I remember all the laughs we had through the years. Your smile always brightened my day! I will miss you with all my heart.

I am so happy that you were part of my life. You always had a smile on your face and always knew what to say to make me laugh. Your memory will always live on through your girls.. Emma is so much like you. I love you and I know we will meet again someday..

Our thoughts, prayers, and love are with and your family. Adrian you will never be forgotten. Los queremos mucho Maritza, Mingo y Arielito. My love and prayers to Dawn and the girls too during this difficult time. Maria, Jorge, Marisabelle, Jorgito y familia <3

Dawn- I am so sorry for the loss that you and your family has suffered. Adrian was an amazing person. He will be missed at MWE.... His play ball program allowed for so many students to not only learn skills but good character traits! I will miss his energy, smile and love for all kids. My thoughts, prayer and love go out to you and your family.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of grief. May your memories bring you comfort.

Dawn, I am so sorry to hear about your tradgic loss, please know that our prayers are with you and your family.

The Castellaneta family

In times of sorrow, I hope you can think back on the good times. Always know Adrian will be your angel watching over you and the girls. You never know when they are near, but they are never far from us.

Words cannot be put to use during this difficult time, but know that God is in control of everything and will provide the support, comfort, and love that you will need. My thoughts and prayers go to you all.

To the Goldstein and Cardenas families: Your family is in my thoughts...This grief is not permanent for you will see Adrian again. Blessed Be..

I hope Playball will continue to be present at those schools, I know the kids that always signed up would miss it dearly. God give all his loved ones strength

To the Goldstein and Cardenas families: My thoughts go out to you in this time of sorrow..This sad time is not permanent for you will see Adrian again..Blessed Be.

May peace be with the Cardenas family in this difficult time and may they find the strength to overcome their sorrow. Maritza, Mingo, Ariel, Dawn and the girls you are in our prayers. Estamos pensando en ustedes, Maria Elena, Aristides, Andy y Adriana, Besos.

God bless your soul Adrian ,you were an amazing guy. Thank you for all you did as a coach and helping young kids have something positive to do after school.

Dear Dawn, there isn't much one can say at a time like this, but please know that you are loved, and we are here for you. God give you strength.

THERE IS A PLACE



There is a place where only hearts can reach
where a silent prayer sincerely felt
rings out aloud to God's own ear.
There is no distance that love can't reach,
there are no barriers that love can't breach.
There is no dying, just moving on.
There is no ending where love is King,
where God's Majesty reigns supreme.

Dawn, we are so sorry for you and the girls. Prayers and peace to you all.

RIP Adrian. Thank you for being such an amazing friend. I always loved how you saw the best in people when maybe they couldn't see the best in themselves. I will miss you contagious laugh and big beautiful smile. I was blessed to met you in HS and I will never forget you. Adios Amigo.... XOXOXO

I wish u nothing but love and strength during this difficult time. RIP Adrian. I was lucky to have met you....SUCH a wonderful man....I love u ladies very much...xoxox

I did not know Adrian but I have been friends with Ariel since high school and I know how much he loved his brother. I pray that the Lord gives his family the strength to get through this hard time. My thoughts and prayers are with the Cardenas Family.

I remember Adrian in High School. And I remember hearing that he and Dawn were married and the daughters continued to multiply. I am terribly saddened at the news of his passing. I pray his girls never forget him and that they know he lives on in them. Dawn, I owe you such a big hug when I see you next. Ecclesiastes says there is a time for everything, a time for life, a time for death, a time to laugh and a time to cry. My you find strength, love and life in each other.

My sweet, beautiful cousin. That is how I will always remember you, with that sparkling smile. You were the best father. I could see your pride, joy, and love when you looked at your girls. You and your family brought such happiness to my Mom when you came from Cuba. We are all truly blessed to have had you in our lives. You will be missed, but I have faith that we will all be reunited one day. I am sure you were greeted by "Tia Teresa", and that she has you safely in her arms. Give her a kiss from me. Love you, Adrian.

A classy young man-a great friend and an amazing dad-your friends will always remember AC

You have touched so many, Adrian, and will be missed by all. You were such a kind and gentle soul, and it was our honor to have known you.

I will forever remember your smile and laughter. Such a joy to be around, you made everyone around you happy. Rest in peace, my friend.....

Adrian, weve known each other for over 25yrs and in that time I've come to know a wonderfully giving & charming man. You were a great Father to your daughters & always there for your Family & Friends! We have ALL suffered a TREMENDOUS LOST & there is no easy way to comprehend this tradgedy but for everyone to unite & help each other through this with any & all GOOD memories we all have of you through our blessed years of knowing you! R.I.P. my Dear Friend, till we meet again one day.. xoxo

Adrian, weve known each other for over 25yrs and in that time I've come to know a wonderfully giving & charming man. You were a great Father to your daughters & always there for your Family & Friends! We have ALL suffered a TREMENDOUS LOST & there is no easy way to comprehend this tradgedy but for everyone to unite & help each other through this with any & all GOOD memories we all have of you through our blessed years of knowing you! R.I.P. my Dear Friend, till we meet again one day.. xoxo

You will live in the hearts of
everyone who loved you. Until
we meet again, you will be in
my heart.

A good man and wonderful Daddy is gone from our sight but never our hearts and memories. I hope that his goodness lives in the three children he left with us. And may they continue to bring happiness and his light to their families.

David and Laurie

May the love and grace of God be with Adrian and all the members of his family in this difficult time.Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. The Chamblin's

We love u D and ur babies ,,,, he is at rest ,,,, find peace in love and the legacy through the eyes of each of those girls......

God rest your soul Adrian. You will never be forgotten. We love you.
Aunt Lita & Uncle Ron

Adrian and I only knew each other through work, but I always thought he was a great person who always spoke about his daughters. My prayers go out to the family.

May the love and beauty of your beautiful daughters be the constant reminder of the beautiful soul that you have left here...

Rest in peace Adrian. Xoxo