He’d already lost his mother and father. Now, a fire had destroyed 14-year-old Petey Jones’ home and claimed the life of his older sister and guardian, Maronique Sanders.
For one of the Ohio high school defensive lineman’s football coaches, Ryan Holdren, there was only one thing to do, as he described in a recent People magazine feature.
“Hey, I know you got a lot going on,” he wrote in a text to Jones, “but if you ever need it, you’re always welcome to come stay with me.”
Holdren, working at the time as a middle school social studies teacher and assistant football coach, had gotten to know Jones through football at Cincinnati College Preparatory Academy, driving him home each evening after practice.
Jones was one of his star players and an honors student. He accepted Holdren’s offer and has been living with the coach and his wife, Caitlin Dates, ever since.
Holdren, 35, is now Jones’ legal guardian. They’ve lived together as a family for three years.
“We just wanted to give him something consistent,” Holdren said. Jones was overwhelmed with grief, afraid of the dark and shy. “We wanted to provide him with a place where he felt safe, somewhere he could grow up.”
It’s often been heartbreaking, watching the 17-year-old deal with the trauma of losing three family members in a span of four years. Jones’ father, Randolph, died at age 40 from a heart attack in 2017. He lost his mother, Bridgette, also 40, from an unknown ailment on New Year’s Day 2021. Maronique was just 24 when she died two months later.
“The first lost I faced was in sixth grade,” said Jones in an interview with Good Morning America. “I was mad because everything happened out of nowhere. My whole life changed in a matter of like two years.”
“I learned pretty quickly that he needed more structure,” Holdren said. “There were a lot of messy rooms and eating in the bedroom.”
Jones describes that period as “bad times.” He doesn’t know if he would’ve survived it without Holdren and Dates in his life.
“They were there for me no matter what, letting me know that I’ll always have a place to call home,” he says. “They’re two angels.”
When Jones first met his coach seven years ago, the focus was on the gridiron. He was in seventh grade then, anxious to play football after losing his dad. But he didn’t have a way home after practice. Holdren volunteered, driving the teen home each evening.
Dates, a kindergarten teacher, would often join them for dinner.
“We spent a lot of quality time together,” says Holdren of a friendship that quickly blossomed. “He’s such an awesome kid.”
Jones has emerged from the tragedies in his life to become a confident, mature young man, Holdren said. He has a job at a local mall and tutors first graders on the side.
He’s become a real member of the family; the couple’s 1-year-old son, Everett, adores him, Dates said.
“Whenever he comes home from school,” Dates says, “Everett gets a huge smile on his face.”
Jones dreams of playing in the NFL. He’s been accepted by 13 colleges so far and figures to have his pick of universities. If the football career doesn’t pan out, Jones said he plans to become a nurse.
In 2021, Holdren and Dates became his legal guardians after Jones’ remaining biological family gave their blessings. For the young couple, it was a no-brainer.
“One night turned into a couple of weeks,” Holdren told GMA. “The sisters were, they were awesome. They said, ‘Mr. Holdren, I think you should just file for custody.'”
“We never really even had a conversation about it,” said Dates, 34. “Maybe it was silly of us not to talk about the logistics and all that was involved, but we both just felt like we were doing the right thing.”
The story of Jones’ ability to endure and Holdren’s love and compassion “brought tears” to the eyes of many who read the story.
One person wrote in response to People’s feature story, “Brought tears to my eyes. The Holdren Family will forever be blessed. Now this young man (Petey) has something to look back and tell his story of life to his family in the future.”
Another added, “Oh My Goodness, what a tragic story with the most amazing ending! Kudos to the coach and his family taking him in and helping him. May Petey continue to build confidence and enjoy a happy life. I’m so sorry for his loss, so terrible!”
