Bennie Joe Kinard III "Joe Joe" was gifted to us on March 22, 2005 in Mesquite TX. He came into this world a blessing, his light shining brightly from the beginning to the end.

Joe Joe was a mystery to us. He didn't say much as a toddler but he always knew how to be understood. He was non-verbal until he was 3, but somehow he could "speak" to his little brother Allen who "translated" what Joe Joe said and let us know everything he needed or wanted. At 4 he was diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum, but he never let that slow him down. He started school just after and didn't skip a beat straight through to graduation.

Bennie graduated from Lake Highlands High School in May of 2023 (with a B-average and perfect attendance) and from their transitional program in May 2024. He worked briefly at Chipotle; but his real satisfaction and contentment came from his position as a Wheelchair Valet at Dallas Love Field Airport. He enjoyed his job. It helped him to find his voice and dream about his future as a productive, independent adult. He was a cartoonist who enjoyed the digital landscape. He had plans to study to prepare for a career in digital animation and fulfill his dreams of becoming a video game creator.

Bennie was always creative. He started drawing early in life and the walls in our home became his canvas. He would create stories and comics based on his life, his thoughts and his ideas. He created worlds for them, and brought one of his creations to life in the form of a custom plush animal. He loved anime and animals, making them the center of all of his stories. He even created a board game that we played on family game nights.

Joe Joe loved children. He was especially gentle with them and loved to play with them. His little cousins brought him so much joy. The first apple of his eye was his cousin Nia; then God blessed us with Queenie whom he adored just the same. His phone is full of pictures of him and his baby cousins, he loved them very much.

Joe Joe was also very moved by animals, petting and feeding all stray cats he encountered at his apartment complex. He loved his Big Mama's many dogs and cats; he adored his dogs Cookie and Izzy and we often found them curled up together in his bed. Two days before his passing, he shared pics of himself helping a family of ducks safely across a busy city street.

Joe Joe was always an old soul of a child. When he was very young he told me that "he wanted to be born to see what it was like to be human." He was "in this world but not of it," keeping to himself like he knew his time on earth would be short. He was kind, compassionate and empathetic. He stood up for those who were bullied and was always available to anyone who needed help. Bennie was spirit-led and spent much of his time in another world.  It brings his family comfort to know that God reclaimed Bennie's goodness and light back into His bosom.

Joe Joe is going home, joining his grandfathers Louis S. Thomas III and Tennison Cole along with a host of great grandparents, great aunts and uncles and cousins. He is survived by his grandmothers, Ethel Cole and Lou Bertha Thomas, his grandfather Bennie Joe Kinard Sr. (Patricia); his parents, Bennie Joe Kinard Jr. and Tah Tanisha Thomas; his brothers Allen Andre and Nicolas Andrew Kinard; his aunts, Trenta Fulcher (Michael) and Deirdre Thomas and his uncle Louis S. Thomas IV, and a myriad of cousins, family, and friends.  God is good and his mercy endures forever. Amen.