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Memorial Stone for Beloved Chick-fil-A Employee Stolen from Dallas Restaurant
A memorial stone honoring Jamir Ballentine, a 21-year-old Chick-fil-A employee who died seven years ago, was stolen from outside the Love Field-area restaurant. His mother and former coworkers are asking for its return.
DALLAS â A memorial stone honoring a young Chick-fil-A employee who died seven years ago has been stolen from outside the restaurant near Love Field, leaving his family and former coworkers heartbroken and asking the community for help.
Jamir Ballentine was 21 when he died. He worked at the Chick-fil-A on West Mockingbird Lane and was working toward a leadership role, according to restaurant operator Louie Murillo.
âHe was always just dancing, smiling, having a good time,â Murillo said. âHe was a star employee, for sure.â
Murillo believed Jamir had a bright future with the company. âHe wouldâve been a great leader,â he said.
After Jamirâs death, his Chick-fil-A family planted a cherry blossom tree and placed a memorial stone bearing his name beside it. The memorial became a gathering place for his mother, Keisha Ballentine, who is a regular at the restaurant â not for the food, but to talk to her son.
âI come and stand with him and talk with him,â Ballentine said. She remembered Jamir as her best friend and her shadow. Photos and videos kept by the family show him dancing, smiling and spending time with the people closest to him.
âIt was just a symbol to let us know that he was loved,â Ballentine said of the stone. âHe wasnât just loved by our family. He was cherished by so many.â
For years, the stone remained in its spot outside the restaurant. But about a week ago, it disappeared. Someone had taken it from the memorial, leaving behind an empty space where Jamirâs name once sat.
âI mean, I was devastated,â Murillo said. âI couldnât figure out why on earth would somebody want to do that?â
Murillo said the loss has been felt not only by Jamirâs relatives but also by the restaurant employees who still consider him part of their Chick-fil-A family.
âIt means so much to the family. And it means so much to our team that when it was gone, itâs like part of us was taken,â Murillo said.
Now, Jamirâs family and the people who knew him at Chick-fil-A are hoping someone knows where the stone went and can help bring it home.
âIf you have the rock or if you know who has it, please return it,â Murillo said. âWe just want to have it back.â
For Ballentine, getting the stone back would restore a piece of the place she has returned to for years to remember her son.
âHis memory is here,â she said. âHis love is here.â