‘He was a beam of light:’ remembering Dakota Humphries

CHURCHVILLE, Va. (WHSV) - Friends and family of Dakota Humphries will gather to remember him and honor him with a balloon release event.

After a tragic accident on Sep. 16, the Churchville community was left mourning after the passing of 20-year-old Dakota Humphries. His cousin Trevor Revercomb described Dakota as a “lovely and family-oriented guy.”

Dakota graduated from Buffalo Gap High School and leaves a lifelong legacy for his friends and family.

“He was there for everyone, when you needed somebody. He loved his family, he loved his friends. He loved, you know, hanging out with his friends so much,” Revercomb said.

Revercomb said Dakota was always smiling and was often regarded as a positive light and energy in people’s lives.

“He loved everybody, he never met a stranger. He was a beam of light for everyone around here,” Revercomb said.

People in the Churchville community can go to the balloon release and join the friends and families mourning. The event will be at the Churchville Volunteer Fire Department on Sep. 22, and it starts at 6 p.m. There will be a police escort for the people driving trucks to park on the lawn in honor of Dakota, who loved his Toyota truck.

Revercomb said Dakota was the “life of the party” and made sure he talked to everyone. He could make friends with strangers and comfort people when they needed comforting the most.

“There are just countless videos and memories that are made every single year at the beach. Every Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Easter, all the major holidays we all get together and have dinner,” Revercomb said. “There was always some sort of partying going on and Dakota was always right there and he was always happy.”

Revercomb said when other people were down and couldn’t muster the energy to be happy, Dakota’s infectious attitude and smile helped cheer everybody on. Whether it was his track team after running three miles, or his family that needed love and support, Dakota made people feel loved and appreciated at all hours of the day.

Revercomb emphasized Dakota’s love for his family, no matter their age. He would act as a brother towards Revercomb, he would run around and play with his little cousins and he would always sit down and have conversations with his grandparents.

“He was always happy to run around and chase his cousins, his younger cousins,” Revercomb said. “One moment he’s be out there running around throwing a football back and forth or playing tag or something like that. The next moment he’d be inside talking to his uncle, talking to his grandma asking how their day was and everything.”

A link to his obituary can be found here.

Copyright 2023 WHSV. All rights reserved.