Lawrence resident Raven Rajani is pictured with Linda Sneegas and her daughter, Jessica Callagy, who are the mother and sister of Rajani's friend Justin Sneegas, a Lawrence native who in September of last year was shot to death in Independence, Mo. Rajani will be running a 50-mile trail run at Clinton Lake next month to raise money for charities that were important to Justin.

Justin Sneegas with his beloved dogs.

Raven Rajani didn’t know Justin Sneegas for that long. But the time she spent with him had a big impact on her.

He would often visit her downtown Lawrence dog bakery with his family. The two of them bonded over their mutual love of animals. Their personalities really seemed to click.

Then, several months ago, Justin’s mom, Linda, came into Rajani’s store wearing a button with his picture on it. Linda told her Justin had been shot and killed.

“I was just devastated. I immediately started crying,” Rajani recalled.

Linda gave Rajani a business card with a photo of Justin and his two dogs. On the back it said: “Keep Justin’s kindness alive. Please pay it forward: a smile, a cup of coffee, a hug, a meal or any act of kindness from your heart.”

Now Rajani is paying it forward in memory of her late friend. She is doing a 50-mile trail run at Clinton Lake next month on the anniversary of Justin’s death to raise money for two charities that were close to his heart: Douglas County Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, or CASA, and the Kansas City Pet Project. Justin loved kids and animals, his family says.

“My brother was definitely one of those rare people who looked at life as everybody is fighting their own battle, that you shouldn’t go around judging people,” said his sister, Jessica Callagy, a dental student who lives in Lawrence. “He was just a very kind and gentle person. He was always willing to give, whether it was anything he had in his pockets or a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen.”

Sneegas, who graduated from Lawrence High School in 1997 and worked as a maintenance man for an area auto parts manufacturer, had already dealt with several setbacks in his life by the time he turned 35. He was once injured in a serious car accident that took years to recover from. He battled testicular cancer, which left him unable to have kids of his own.

But he always remained close to his family. He would spend almost every Sunday with his mother, who lives on a small farm outside Lawrence, and his 9-year-old nephew and 5-year-old niece. So when he didn’t show up at his mom’s house after she returned from church last Sept. 15, she knew something was wrong. When he didn’t answer his phone, she drove to his home in Kansas City, Kan., and discovered the police had just been there. That’s when she found out her only son had been killed.

Sneegas was reportedly sleeping at a woman’s parents’ home in Independence, Mo., when her alleged boyfriend, 28-year-old Nicholas Cannon, showed up and shot Sneegas. While Cannon reportedly admitted to the shooting, he told police it was self-defense because he saw Sneegas reach for something. Cannon wasn’t immediately charged.

But Sneegas’ friends and family members didn’t up give up on their quest for justice. They would wear “Justice for Justin” buttons to the Jackson County, Mo., district attorney’s office, urging prosecutors to file charges. Their persistence paid off, when Cannon was charged in February with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. A jury trial is set for Feb. 23.

Still, the tight-knit Sneegases know they’ll never get Justin back. So they’re honoring his memory by encouraging people to do kind acts for others. For instance, they celebrated what would have been Justin’s 36th birthday Jan. 24 by asking guests to bring something to donate to the Lawrence Humane Society.

“It’s kind of become our way of life now,” said Linda, who took in Justin’s dogs, a St. Bernard and a Pomeranian, who has since died. “I learned a lot from him. He was very kind, very giving. I definitely couldn’t have asked for a better son.”

There’s no doubt that he left his mark on Rajani, who had done a 26-mile trail run before but never a so-called ultramarathon.

“It was going to take a lot to inspire me to run 50 miles,” Rajani said. “Justin’s life was that inspiration.”

Linda Sneegas said she sees a lot of her son in Rajani.

“Raven is definitely one of those very kind people too. Instantly upon meeting her, you know she’s very caring,” she said. “I think that’s why her and Justin kind of hit it off. They were both very kind souls, and I think they both knew it.”