A football player and shot-putter in high school, Rollins was known for pushing himself and often, others to the edge with high-energy antics. At his funeral, Pastor Donna Leslie told how, shortly after Rollins died, his mother, Rhonda Rollins, asked her whether Justin was finally an angel. "Justin was never an angel on Earth," Leslie said, pausing as family and friends chuckled. "But, yeah, he's earned his wings." Rollins was killed by a roadside bomb on March 5, 2007.