TEMPLE, Texas — Sharmae Wheelock remembers losing her best friend, Sasha Armstrong, to suicide.
"A loving person, a very bubbly person, very outstanding. She always stood out," Wheelock said.
Wheelock was shopping nearby when the sight of the Suicide Awareness Bus visiting Temple caught her attention. Upon further inspection of what the bus was, she decided it was only right to write Armstrong's name on the bus to commemorate her legacy.
By signing Armstrong's name on the bus, Wheelock joined many who have signed the bus as it has traveled throughout the country.
"She likes people to know her name. Sasha Armstrong," Wheelock said.
Cory Richez drives the bus alongside his wife, Kelly, and has made stops across the United States, gathering the names of friends from others who have lost companions to suicide.
"Suicide is something we are all unconditionally taught not to talk about," Cory Richez said.
There are many people around the United States who are dealing with how suicide affects those who are left behind, and Richez and his wife hope their presence brings closure and solace to those affected.
"For us to be able to provide this service, to be able to give this country hugs, to be able to talk to people about their depression, letting them know they're not alone, means the world to me and my wife," said Richez.
The two have been driving a bus around the country for over three years and six months each day throughout the week.
"Los Angeles to New York--in our last two builds we have hit 40-something odd states, some of those states repeatedly," said Richez.
While visiting Temple, the Suicide Awareness Bus received its 42nd set of ashes. Families give ashes to Richez and his wife asking them to spread them around the country in significant places.
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