Medford resident Tabitha Carlson admits that the topic of veteran suicide wasn’t on her radar when her 25-year-old boyfriend killed himself in April 2023.

Carlson — who on Sunday is hosting the second-annual “22 a Day is Too Many” golf tournament at Stone Ridge Golf Club in Eagle Point — said friends and family were blindsided by the loss of Michael Depew, a Marine Corps veteran deployed twice between 2015 and 2019.

Depew, who grew up in Klamath, came back from his tours of duty deaf in one ear and with debilitating joint pain.

Access to medical care through local veterans’ facilities was difficult, Carlson said, and doctors were reluctant to believe Depew was in as much pain as he claimed because of his young age. Despite his pain, Depew, who worked as a Dutch Bros barista before beginning a career in lumber sales, was always upbeat and happy.

Before his deployments, and even after his return, Carlson said Depew was the happiest, most charismatic person she’d known.

“Michael was literally the best guy. I used to say Michael walked out of a time machine. He was really old school, always with the dad jokes, always making people laugh or smile and always wanted to make people feel like they felt welcomed,” she said.

“Nobody who knew him could have imagined he was struggling.”

Depew reached out to Carlson in his final moments, calling Carlson to tell her he was “feeling sad.”

“I told him that I loved him … and then he shot himself,” Carlson remembered.

Since losing Depew, Carlson has educated herself on veteran suicide, attended support groups and tried to raise awareness about the number of veterans — 22 or more per day — who take their own lives.

She planned last year’s golf tournament to bring veterans and other community members together to enjoy Depew’s favorite sport and talk about veteran suicide.

The level of support shown last year prompted her to host the event annually.

“There is such a need for this in the community, so it was heartwarming to feel so much support. … It’s amazing that it’s such a huge issue, and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of resources to help people who are struggling or (to) support people experiencing losing somebody to suicide,” Carlson said.

“Veterans are four times more likely to take their own lives than you or I, and we have a shortage of resources. They fight for their country. We need to fight for them.”

While her goal for fundraising during last year’s event was $10,000, the event raised almost $15,000. Funds from this year’s tournament, sponsored by Seven Feathers Casino Resort, will be distributed through the Non Commissioned Officers Association to organizations that support veterans’ mental health.

This year’s recipients include the Mighty Oaks Foundation, which provides peer-based programming and camps for veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder; David’s Chair, which funds specialized mobility chairs for disabled veterans; and Veterans Back 40 Adventure, which takes veterans on outdoor, usually off-road adventures.

David’s Chair representatives will be on hand Sunday with veterans who use the mobility devices. Golfers will also get a chance to tee off from one of the chairs, Carlson said, “to experience what it feels like to golf that way.”

However much the event raises, Carlson said she just hopes to keep the conversation going on veteran suicide.

“I’ve had people in the last year open up and share things with me — people who are gorgeous, have great careers, are charismatic, who you would never think they would struggle and they’re thinking about ending things, leaving the planet … It’s really heartbreaking,” she said.

“They’re like, ‘I would never talk to anybody about it, but you’ve been so open about your experience with Michael.’”

Carlson said photos of 16 veterans, all lost to suicide, will be featured at different holes of the tournament. She noted, “Out of these 16, in their obituaries, at least six of them mention they were avid golfers, so we wanted them to be part of the event.”

“The really hard thing to think about is their age range … These are veterans from 20 years old to 75 years old. The scope of people affected by veteran suicide is surprising, so we want to really put a face to it. … These are good-looking men, golfers, men with vibrant smiles, friends … You can’t imagine them wanting to not be here anymore,” she added.

“It’s been a year and seven months since I lost Michael, and the saddest thing is that life goes on without these amazing people.”

Sunday’s tournament takes place 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; registration is from 7:30 to 8:45 a.m. The golf club is at 500 East Antelope Road in Eagle Point. For more information, visit the eventbrite page.