LEOMINSTER —The warm glow of dozens of candles lit up Monument Square after dark on Tuesday this past week, a loving tribute to a young man whose life was tragically cut short. The warm glow of dozens of candles lit up Monument Square after dark on Tuesday, a loving tribute to a young man whose life was tragically cut short.
“He was the perfect kid,” Melissa Wilson said of her son Ezra Millard, who died on Jan. 6, 2025, at the tender age of 13 following a pedestrian-traffic accident.
She along with Ezra’s dad John Millard, Ezra’s two older siblings, Emma Wilson and Tyler Wilson, and at least 100 people including family, friends and community members gathered downtown on Tuesday, Jan. 6, to pay tribute to the vibrant and kind teenager who had a unique style and loved art, music and roller derbies.
People greeted each other warmly with hugs and the holiday lights strung up around the space helped provide a warm atmosphere for the moving memorial.
Four large poster boards filled with photos of a smiling Ezra, showing him at all ages and stages of his life, were displayed and people grabbed electric or regular candles from a table that had a bouquet of hot pink and black star shaped balloons attached to it.
“Thank you for coming out tonight … remembering Ezra and how he was,” said John Millard, who along with Melissa Wilson spoke with the Boston 25 News TV crew that was there.
He cried as he talked about dropping Ezra off at the mall that fateful night and how later on his son did not answer his cell phone.
“Ezra did everything he could to challenge me … to become a better human being. He brought out the best in me,” John Millard said, his voice thick with emotion. “Ezra wanted to do so many things [and he] made me reach deep within me to bring it out of me, to try new things.”
He again expressed appreciation for all the people who came out to pay their respects to his late son, saying “I’m grateful that you’re here tonight,” and asked that they “remember that bright beautiful person.”
According to his obituary, Ezra was born on May 21, 2011, and throughout his life, he radiated a unique and joyful energy that touched everyone he met. Though he was born Lilly, Ezra embraced his true self as Ezra — coming out about six months before he died, Melissa Wilson shared — and his loved ones honor and celebrate that truth.
Ezra’s passion for life was evident in everything he did, his obituary stated. A gifted musician, he had recently received a bass guitar for Christmas and eagerly joined the school band. His love for music, which spanned the globe through online connections and friendships, was just one of the many ways he expressed his creativity. He was also a dedicated student, achieving straight As and serving on the leadership council. Ezra had dreams of attending an art and music-based high school, where he could further explore his talents.
The obituary went on to say that as an old soul and a best friend to those who knew him, Ezra was remarkable in his kindness and ability to make connections. Whether it was through his love of roller derbies, arts and crafts or his eclectic and bold fashion choices, Ezra’s light shone brightly. He made friends wherever he went, and his confidence in his uniqueness was truly inspiring. Ezra’s spirit was that of someone far beyond his years, and those who knew him cherished his humor, creativity and generosity.
After he passed away a memorial was set up at the mall. Bouquets of flowers, stuffed animals, pictures and handwritten notes adorned a pole in the parking lot, a touching tribute that only grew bigger in the days following Ezra’s death that enabled members of the community to mourn for him along with his loved ones.
When Melissa Wilson took the mic after John Millard spoke at the gathering, she talked about how every parent’s worst nightmare happened for them last January.
“My biggest fear was realized one year ago,” she said with sadness in her voice, adding that she is “incredibly grateful I had 13 years with Ezra.”
She called her son “an old soul” who was wise beyond his years and said she wouldn’t have been able to make it through the last year, wading through a deep ocean of grief, without her village and she expressed deep gratitude for the people in it.
“Thank you for walking with me,” Melissa Wilson said.
She disclosed that Ezra wasn’t just her son, he was her best friend, “so much alike,” and they would often joke with each other about how they both liked to do “weird things.”
“We would ask each other, ‘Why are we like this,’” Melissa Wilson said with a chuckle. “‘Because we are basically the same person.’”
She encouraged people to follow in her son’s footsteps and “be themselves without fear and be kind to everyone,” and shared that while that “might be a little unconventional, that was Ezra — 100% himself.”
She invited everyone to join them at Monoosnock Country Club just up the road afterwards for a slice of Espresso Pizza, “Ezra’s favorite.” Shortly before that, as one of Ezra’s favorite songs played — “In The Night” by Des Rocs featuring Underoath — John visibly wept and many people wiped tears from their eyes. As everyone lit up their candles, people could feel the beautiful, bittersweet energy in the air for Ezra, a fitting tribute to a young man who by all accounts led with love.
A large crowd gathered in Monument Square in Leominster for a moving candle light memorial on Jan. 6, one year to the date 13-year-old Ezra Millard died following an accident in the city. (DANIELLE RAY/SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE)
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