- December 13, 2025
A celebration of Life for Melique Joseph was held at First Baptist Church of Palm Coast on Saturday, Nov. 15. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Melique Joseph's graduation photo is displayed at his Celebration of Life at First Baptist Church of Palm Coast. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Melique Joseph's family, friends, teachers, coaches, school administrators, teammates and classmates attend his Celebration of Life. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Melique Joseph's wrestling singlet and football jersey are displayed at his Celebration of Life. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Defensive lineman Melique Joseph (35) scored on an interception return for the Bulldogs' final touchdown after Colby Cronk (34) batted a Matanzas pass up in the air in the 2024 Potato Bowl. File photo by Brent Woronoff
Melique Joseph's educators, mentors, coaches and friends remembered the recent Flagler Palm Coast High School graduate for his ever-present smile and determination and his unwavering support for his family, friends and teammates.
A Celebration of Life was held for Joseph on Saturday, Nov. 15, in a standing-room-only Worship Center at First Baptist Church of Palm Coast. Joseph died after a sudden illness on Nov. 4, two months short of his 20th birthday.
According to his obituary, "Even as a baby Melique was playful and full of joy. Family often talked about how he would always wake up smiling."
He graduated in May of this year from FPC, where he was a three-sport athlete — a defensive lineman on the football team, a shot putter on the track and field team and a regional champion wrestler. Joseph's obituary said, he "was an integral part of the Destined for Greatness Ministries family" where he served as a video technician and was an adjutant serving in both his local church and within the National Vision Covenant Connection Fellowship.
Following high school, Joseph continued to pursue his goals, obtaining employment in the mental health field and working toward an associate degree at Daytona State College, the obituary said.
At Joseph's Celebration for Life, Lisa O'Grady, Joseph's principal at Imagine School at Town Center, said, "Melique had a joy that could not be taken from him."
His smile, she said, revealed "something inside of him that he wanted to give to each and everyone he came in contact with."
FPC Principal Bobby Bossardet said, "Everybody remembers that grin followed by that smile that said, 'Don't be mad at me.'"
Bossardet said Joseph was a little mischievous and could sometimes test your patience, but he always lifted people up around him.
"He had the ability to take a tough moment and turn it into a shared laugh," Bossardet said. "You knew his warmth, his honesty and that spark that made him unforgettable."
FPC wrestling coach Dave Bossardet said Joseph is on his Mount Rushmore of Flagler wrestlers.
"He was a competitor in every sense of the word," David Bossardet said, adding. "I learned a lot more from Melique than Melique learned from me."
O'Grady said, "Melique's story lives on in how we choose to share the joy he shared with us. If we do that, we honor Melique."
