Celebration of life ceremony held in honor of football player killed in boating incident

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Hundreds of people gathered Thursday night to remember a high school athlete and his brother who died in a boating accident in the Intracoastal Waterway last weekend.

Johnnie Magbie and his brother, Ahykeem Jones, were boating when Jones fell into the water last Sunday. Magbie immediately dove into the water to rescue his brother. Both men died in the water.

During a celebration of life ceremony held Thursday night, Magbie’s mother stood behind the podium to speak with the large crowd that gathered at the West Brunswick High School football stadium to remember her son.

“I really thank you, this shows tremendously how much my son was really loved,” Johnnie Magbie’s mother said.

Magbie was a varsity player for the high school’s football team.

“It’s almost like having a home football game to come out and celebrate one of our heroes and our warriors,” said Brett Hickman who is the school’s head football coach.

During the service, there was a large photo displayed which showed Magbie and his brother kissing their mother’s cheek that was taken last Sunday.

“If you ever want to know the last expression that these boys had on their faces, it’s that picture right there,” she said. “That was moments before they left together.”

One by one, family members, coaches, teammates and friends shared their memories of Magbie.

“We used to prank each other late at night and whoever fell asleep first, got drowned with water,” one teammate said. “Johnnie’s like ‘Stop, I’m trying to sleep, I’m trying to sleep,’ and none of us cared, and then someone just jumped on him and about took the wind out of him.”

Others shared their thoughts about how Magbie personally impacted them.

“He was the most competitive person I’ve ever met, he never gave up no matter what the score was, no matter what,” another teammate recalled. “He kept me straight in a lot of aspects of life.”

Many who spoke used the word ‘hero’ to describe Magbie.

“My boys took me out for the best Mother’s Day I have had in the 28 years that I have been a mother,” Magbie’s mother said. “I am so proud of them, so proud of them.”

A gofundme page has been set up to assist with funeral expenses.