Family, Friends Gather to Honor Joshua Raborn

Family, friends and coworkers gathered at a private Grand Terrace home Friday, Nov. 1, to honor the memory of Joshua Raborn. Sustaining injuries from a single vehicle collision on Wednesday, Oct. 23, Raborn, a resident of Victorville in the High Desert, passed away. He was 29. Jolene McGarrah is a close friend of the family, who hosted the memorial at the Grand Terrace home of her parents, Gary and Corinne Robinson. "He was so young and this is such a vibrant, unbelievable family," said McGarrah Friday afternoon, as friends and family around her recounted stories of Raborn's life. McGarrah works as a teacher in the San Bernardino City Unified School District with Raborn's wife, Kristen. "For being so young, this family has touched so many lives in an amazing way." Raborn was born in Llano, Texas, in 1984. As a child, he enjoyed playing sports, music and working on cars. After graduating high school, Raborn joined the Marine Corps and was stationed in Camp Pendleton in Oceanside. In 2007, Raborn met his wife Kristen at a Tim McGraw concert; the two were married Dec. 28, 2008. Raborn was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps and joined the USDA-United States Forest Service as a Big Bear Hot Shot and later a Water Tender Operator for Station 12 in Running Springs. Before his passing, he and his wife had just adopted three children. For Kristen, the gathering was the opportunity for the family to realize they have shoulders to lean on during this difficult time, she shared. "It's helping the kids get through it. They see everyone here as family; it's good for them to be around Josh's friends at the station because they're seeing them as other dads," said Kristen. Close friends and family celebrated Raborn during a private mass earlier that day then invited extended friends to honor his life in Grand Terrace, shared McGarrah. Firefighters from CAL Fire, San Bernardino County Fire, San Bernardino City Unified School District employees, Camp Pendleton Fire Department and Raborn's coworkers from the United States Forest Service also attended the memorial, with a Forest Service fire truck on site bearing Raborn's name. Visitors signed a guestbook sitting near Raborn's personal effects, including various awards, his hard hat, jacket, boots, shovel and fire ax. A log cut down from the forests he kept safe was also on site, said McGarrah. As an organ donor, McGarrah said, "he was someone who spent his entire life in service to others, and he still gave, even in passing. He was a godly man who put his heart out there for everybody." McGarrah's husband, Mike, said, "He did such amazing things so quickly." The couple agreed that both Raborn and his family had a reputation for helping others. "The family aspect of this (gathering) is unbelievable," said McGarrah. "You can see how many lives they've touched and how they continue to amaze people." Josh is survived by his wife, four children, five siblings, fellow service men and women and and other friends and family.