Joseph Luke Messick, 22, died unexpectedly on Monday, May 17, 2021 while traveling to play the game he loved, soccer.  Born on February 5, 1999, he was a lifelong resident of Hampton.  Luke graduated from Kecoughtan High School in 2017 and went on to further his education at Randolph Macon College.  He was making a career out of soccer and he passionately played the game whenever and wherever he had the chance.  Luke was a goalkeeper for the 1999 Region 1 ODP team which traveled to Barcelona, Spain for games as well as Virginia RUSH Academy, VA Legacy, VB City, Lionsbridge FC, VB United, Loko FC, AC Commonwealth, United Stars FC, Ole Sporting, PetroTela PA, and Shaka Boyz BSC where he put on a world class beach soccer performance and even received the Golden Glove Award at the most recent edition of the North American Sand Soccer Championships held in 2019.  Over the past several months, he has been proudly collecting trophies and league MVP awards for Transporte Juanita in various indoor and outdoor leagues around Richmond, VA where he was affectionately known as 'El Gato Blanco.'  He was also a co-founder, manager and player with Ashland Town FC.

At Kecoughtan, in addition to his numerous academic accolades, Luke played varsity soccer where he was team MVP in 2015 and 2016, team captain in 2016 and 2017 and was awarded 1 ^st Team All-Conference in 2016 and 2017.  He also ran in Conference and Regional meets for the varsity Cross Country team.

Luke is survived by his parents David and Marcy Messick; his brother, Joshua Messick (Breanne Barnes); grandparents, David and Stephanie Messick and Clifford and Doris Swilley; uncles and aunts, Chris Messick, Lisa Ryan (Rich), Stuart Swilley (Nancy) and Mark Swilley; cousins, Kyle, Colton, Landon, Dillon, Tyler, Emily, Sabra, Fletcher, Nolan, and Amanda; his godparents, Tom and Rebeca Cho; and a large extended family and circle of friends.

A Memorial Service will be held at  4 PM, Sunday, May 23, 2021 at First United Methodist Church, Fox Hill. (The church will livestream the service on their website or Click here ). A Celebration of Life will be held starting at 1:00 pm Sunday, May 30 at River Birch Pavilion at Gosnold's Hope Park.

At the time of his passing, Luke was actively creating a charity to support youth soccer in Ghana and elsewhere.  He supported a team in Ghana over the last several years.  This program will now be finalized and named the Luke Messick Futbol Charities, Inc.  Until those accounts are finalized, donations may be made payable to First UMC Fox Hill, 1 Salt Pond Rd, Hampton, VA 23664, designated for Luke Messick or to the church's Memorial Fund.

Arrangements by R. Hayden Smith Funeral Home, Hampton.  www.rhaydensmith.com.