Sahuaro faculty and students began Spring Break with a heavy heart. Deshawn Elliott-Carr, a beloved junior, sadly passed away on March 6th, 2025.
A balloon release was held over the break at Jesse Owens Park, near his old elementary school. “He was really fun to be around and always made everyone smile and laugh. Even when he was having a hard time, he didn’t take it out on others and was positive instead of negative. He was also really honest and cared about everyone,” reminisced Sahuaro student, Lilly Boettcher. 
Yanynes Saldana, who attended the balloon release, shared, “All of his friends were playing basketball together and just having a good time for him, and then when we got to the balloon release, they all hugged and they all looked so sad, and just they were all there for each other. Ambrey came with me, and Lilly was also there. She brought balloons, and they were the green ones – his favorite color was green, so she got him green balloons. Afterwards, some of the balloons got stuck in the tree, and a lot of adults were yelling that means he’s still with us, and everyone was very happy and very sad. It was just an emotional roller coaster.”
Mr. Tony would say this to Deshawn: “I miss seeing you at school. You would brighten my day when I saw you. You’d make me happy when you played group games. We both liked skating, so we talked about that often. I miss seeing you around the neighborhood the most. I think of you when I see the other boys skating around.”
“DeShawn taught me that life is precious: How do I write something about someone I had very little time to get to know? What I do know is that DeShawn had style, swag, attitude (in a good way) while still being soft-spoken and respectful. For me, I think what we can learn from his passing is that life is precious, and we should try to live every day as if it’s our last. DeShawn was one of us – a Cougar. His passing is a loss for all of us, a reminder that life happens and is uncertain. My message to others would be “Don’t take your family and friends for granted – tell them (today!) you appreciate them for the role they have in your own lives. Don’t wait one more minute – life is precious,” said Sahuaro faculty member Tod Persellin.
“Deshawn was a great person. Every time I saw him; he was always smiling no matter what was going on with him. He’s always smiling, he would never let whatever’s going on outside of his life get to him and he was always so happy to see me, and he’d always be so happy to tell me how well his grades were. Even with the recognition that we have through my department into the year, I remember his grandma would always be so proud of him for how well he was achieving as far as his academics and just being a great student all around. He was just a great person to be around always smiling no matter what, just smiling, just happy, and he will be missed. Like I said, Mr. Williams was very proud of him. Always. I’ll always be proud of him. He was one of the students I never had to worry about, and I hope he rests easy,” Mr. Williams, Sahuaro Resource Counselor, shared.
Deshawn taught Sahuaro that life is precious, as many staff and friends mentioned. He will always be remembered as a wonderful member of the Sahuaro community. Deshawn – you will be missed. Rest in peace.
