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Bailey Elizabeth Rogers
Skyla Pawnell looks lovingly at a photo of her son, Aaron Prayer. When speaking about Aaron, Skyla shared how everyone he knew loved him. How he was a leader, and not a follower. How he dedicated his life to his faith, and loved the Lord and going to church. Even if no one wanted to go with him, he always got up on Sunday and went to church. At the time of his death he was working on getting his life together. He was supposed to start a new job the
next day, and was in the process of going back to school to get his high school diploma.
Skyla Pawnell stands outside of her home in East St. Louis, IL, holding a photo of her son Aaron Prayer. Aaron was
21 at the time of his death. He was the youngest of his siblings, and the only one of Skyla’s five children who wasn’t
a multiple. Naturally, he was a Mama’s boy, and she admits, spoiled rotten. When Aaron was killed he left behind
a daughter who is now nine years old. She remembers her father, and has asked Skyla the heartbreaking question, “Granny, can you bring my Daddy back?”. It’s this type of affect on the families that the perpetrators of gun violence don’t think about before pulling the trigger.
Skyla Pawnell shows off the inside of a memory box honoring her son, Aaron Prayer, which she started working on
at a retreat for grieving mothers. Like many other Moms, Skyla has found support in the community of others who
have lost a child to gun violence. In addition, Aaron's death has motivated her to give back, and better her
community and herself. She works with Metro East Mom’s Demand Action, cooks meals for homeless shelters, and
puts on a Breakfast With Santa for children impacted by gun violence.
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