HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Twelve years after her son Larry Flaccamio was murdered, Donna Howell has turned her grief into a mission to help other families coping with the loss of a child to gun violence. Over the past decade she has produced thousands of handmade memorial gifts, and this year she introduced a new offering: personalized clocks that incorporate photographs of the children whose lives were cut short.
The clocks function like ordinary timepieces, but for the families they serve they symbolize the moments shared with their loved ones and the time they wish they could have back. “Nobody stops to think that at any moment our time could be gone,” Howell said. “I never thought that in five minutes of my son leaving the house, he would not ever speak to me again.”
Clocks as a source of comfort
To date Howell has crafted 70 clocks for families impacted by gun violence, each carefully integrating a photograph of the child into the design. She hopes the gifts provide a tangible reminder that the children are not forgotten. “They’re seeing that scene over and over again. It never does go away, and I think this kind of helps,” she explained.
One recipient, Glenda Wesley, remembers her 15‑year‑old son Phillip “PJ” Fletcher Jr., who was killed on September 3, 2024. “That smile, the pictures, it’s just so many memories,” Wesley said while looking at the clock Howell made in his memory. The clock now sits alongside photographs and keepsakes honoring PJ, allowing his family to feel his presence in their home.
Honoring legacies
PJ had dreamed of graduating high school and becoming a police officer. Mae Jemison High School plans to award him a posthumous diploma in 2026, a milestone he never got to experience. As Wesley’s family continues to seek justice, they remain focused on preserving his legacy.
Howell acknowledges that no handmade clock can bring back a lost child, but she believes each piece reminds parents that their children are remembered and that they are not alone in their grief. Her own yard, filled with flags and memorials for Larry, stands as a visible testament to her commitment to keeping his memory alive while extending that compassion to others.
Through these clocks, Howell offers a small but meaningful way for grieving families to honor their children’s lives and find a measure of comfort amid lasting pain.
Original reporting: WAFF 48 Huntsville (news) — read the source article.
