‘This shooting star got extinguished.’ Friends remember Columbus attorney Ralston Jarrett

Friends and colleagues of the late Ralston Jarrett all remember his bright smile and the impact he had on the people around him.

Jarrett, a defense attorney, author and local businessman, died Sept. 8 at the age of 33. His funeral will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday at North Highland Church.

‘A smile that lit up the whole room.’

Columbus attorney Shevon Thomas II told the Ledger-Enquirer that he had been friends with Jarrett for roughly eight years.

Before Thomas started law school at Faulkner University, Jarrett gave him phone numbers for several people who could help him in his studies before he even stepped foot on campus. Those people later became Thomas’ support system.

“He was a positive person, always had a smile on his face,” Thomas said. “A smile that that lit up the whole room.”

Jarrett faced many challenges in his life, but he never let those challenges define who he was, always overcoming the challenges he faced, Thomas said.

“He never let anybody tell him what he was capable of or who he was capable of being, and that is one thing I will always admire about him,” Thomas said.

‘He just didn’t know any strangers.’

Prominent Columbus defense attorney Mark Shelnutt worked with Jarrett for over a year. Jarrett served as an associate attorney at Shelnutt’s law firm.

“Ralston always... just had such a positive outlook on life, and his enthusiasm and his energy was contagious,” Shelnutt said. “He just didn’t know any strangers, he was a friend to everybody that he met. ... Ralston was just a genuine and sincere person, you know — not to mention a good attorney. He cared about people.”

‘Be like Ralston.’

Columbus attorney William Kendrick was one of Jarrett’s mentors, he told the L-E. The pair both came from east Columbus, wore dreadlocks and needed glasses.

Kendrick said attorneys go through three phases: learning how to be a good attorney, how to turn that into money and learning how to run a firm. Kendrick said it took him 10-15 years to figure his phases out, but it took Jarrett only six months.

“I just saw so much of myself in him,” Kendrick said. “His mind was so advanced and he was clicking at such a fast pace, and I admired him.”

Kendrick said he struggles with Jarrett’s death. He doesn’t understand why his friend was taken so soon.

“(I’m) proud of him, but confused why this shooting star got extinguished,” Kendrick said. “We’re not supposed to question the Lord, but that’s one I struggle to understand... Sometimes, God allows some of the brightest shining stars to go out in that way, but it serves as an inspiration for the rest of us.”

Jarrett was a warm and kind man who was always smiling, Kendrick said.

“The thing I would want to leave with everyone is, ‘Be like Ralston.’” Kendrick said.

“Be like Ralston in your ingenuity, in your spirit, in your kindness and in your diligence.”

A previous version of this story misspelled the first name of Shevon Thomas II with an ‘a’; the current version reflects the accurate spelling with an ‘e.’

This story was originally published September 20, 2022 at 5:30 AM.