Billy Don Ezell
October 1, 1959 – August 16, 1996
It was 11 years ago today, when I was 15 years old, that I lost my father to an auto accident in Hopkinsville, Ky. My little brother, who is also now gone, my mother and I were in Follansbee, WV visiting my family on my mother’s side. My father took the opportunity to visit his family in Hopkinsville, which a much shorter trip in distance and time from Alabama than was the case with WV.
Unknown to me until recent years, my father was driving in the country surrounding Hopkinsville scouting a potential vehicle for me for my coming birthday in October. We had worked on his vehicle together that summer and had talked a good deal about antique vehicles we would like to restore down the road. There are still a good deal of old vehicles available in the south; there were even more then. While driving on a run down old country road he passed through an intersection and was hit by a small truck coming perpendicular to his. My father’s truck, a full size late 80s model GMC Sierra, was overturned by the small truck (I think it was a Nissan) causing my father’s truck to roll side over side. My father was wearing his safety belt, but what I feel was due to his height of 6’4 he was not fully restrained by the belt and was partially thrown from the truck which he was killed by… His truck had a bent rear bed wall, the other truck was crushed – My father was killed instantly from massive head trauma while the other man walked away with a broken nose… odd how things work out some times.
He always rode with his windows down; rarely using the air – which barely cooled anyways. Pretty sure he was jamming out to some country-bluegrass as that was what was in the CD player he received the year before as a gift (which was piped into the tape-deck) when help arrived at the scene. He was most likely singing right along with the song at the top of his lungs, taking in the sunny country side and basically being happy for the life he was living.
I hope when I go, its kinda like that – In a pretty place, having a good time and happy for what I have.
I miss you, I think about you daily and I love you always – because of the father you were, I am the man I am today.