OBITUARY:
Sidney J. Bothman, IV passed away at the young age of 31 on Thursday, February 25, 2021. Sidney was a lifelong resident of St. Bernard Parish and graduated from Chalmette High School in 2008, where he loved playing baseball for the Owls. Sidney is survived by his son, Ace, and daughter, Vayda. He is the son of Kelly Janneck and Sidney J. Bothman III and grandson of the late Carol and Sidney Bothman, Jr; and Betty and Earl Janneck. Sidney is the brother of Whitney Salone (Anthony) and uncle to Peyton Petric and Blake Salone. Sidney is also survived by his godmother and Aunt, Kim Janneck, his Aunt Kit McMahan (Jim), his uncles Kirk (Tessie) and Kevin (Peggy) as well as many cousins and friends.
We are choosing to tell Sidney’s story with the hope it may resonate with others struggling with addiction so they may possibly seek help. We also want families affected by the addiction of a loved one to know they are not alone.
To say Sidney’s death was unexpected would not be truthful. Multiple overdoses within the last six months became so commonplace that they started to lose their shock value. Being revived with Narcan each time made him feel invincible. However, Sidney overdosing on what was presumed to be fentanyl laced heroin, suffering irreparable brain damage and then being placed on life support for fourteen days was not something we ever prepared for and we know it was not something he envisioned. It was the final gut punch that, while truly agonizing, was at the same time a blessing as it gave us the peace we needed and the grace Sidney needed from us. We were finally able to forgive him for the past and all the anger and resentment melted away leaving only space for unconditional love.
Sidney’s addiction has spanned over a decade of his young life. In the beginning, his addiction to pharmaceuticals made him somewhat of a drug snob because he wasn’t using hard street drugs. However, addiction is insidious in the way it stealthily progresses from something that gets you high on the weekends to something that you will put before everything and everyone you love, and that is what heroin did to Sidney. We all kept waiting for something to put him on the true road to recovery but no matter how horrible the consequence, “rock bottom” seemed to elude Sidney. He experienced pretty much everything one would expect would happen to a person who is faced with an out of control addiction.
Ironically, one of the longest periods of time where we truly had our Sidney back in our lives was during a five year drug related incarceration. At the time, we thought it was horrible that we were separated, but the separation was only physical. He was sober, mentally present, clear-headed, grateful, loving, and focused with his eye on the prize, which was a second chance at life. During this time he lived for visits from his family, which always included his beloved niece, Peyton, who brought him so much joy and love. Sadly, once he gained his physical freedom, he soon became imprisoned again by his addiction.
We humbly ask for your grace when you remember Sidney, because he was so much more than his addiction. He had a huge heart, generous spirit and he was that guy that never met a stranger. His personality was his currency and he managed to charm everyone he met. He was the funniest person we have ever known, and his smile, my God his beautiful smile, would light up any room. Sidney made some destructive life choices which tragically ended his young life way too soon. These life choices were in direct contradiction to his beautiful gifts. However, he did make a selfless choice in the midst of his chaotic life, and that was his decision to donate his organs upon death. Sidney fought and stayed alive on life support to try to make good on that promise. Sadly, he was not able to donate his organs because the intricate timing between removal from life support and natural death extended past the point where his organs would be viable. However, he is still a hero in our eyes for his brave effort.
We ask for your prayers for his precious children, Ace and Vayda. Our family would also like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Chris and Terry Dettwiller, and Robyn Dettwiller Vieregge for their selfless acts of love, protection and guardianship to Ace and Vayda.
We would like to thank the wonderful Neuro ICU nurses at Ochsner Main Campus, especially Lauren and Melanie, who were so compassionate in their care of Sidney.
The family would also like to bring awareness to the LOPA Foundation and encourage others to register to be an organ donor and to also consider monetary donations to this extraordinary organization.
A private burial will be held at St. Bernard Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home.
Content in this article. in part or in full, was first published HERE
