Please be careful my friends

[smallfoot]

Today was one I wish I had skipped. Some of you may remember mentions of my grandboy Ethan. He is really turning into a man before my eyes but I wish this day could have been skipped by him too. Last night sometime after 10 pm and before daylight, Ethan's dad, Randy and stepmom, Marquese died in a single vehicle accident on a road near here. So far info is scarce. All I know is what has been said so far. Witnesses say that they left a restaurant after meeting his boss for dinner last night about 10 pm. They said she was driving when they left the restaurant. When found, Randy was behind the wheel and Marquese had been ejected. Both died before being located. His mother that lives on the same property had awakened at 3 am and noticed they had not returned from dinner. People started checking around and I don't know who made the discovery but they were found on a country road. There were no skid marks. There were no witnesses to the accident, no reports made to anybody. My daughter Holly went to see if she could see where it happened and saw the wreckage and evidence at the scene. She said there was no indication of fast braking like trying to avoid hitting wildlife or such. She said tracks appeared to have first been made at the bottom of a roadside ditch and traveled up the far side where the truck launched into the air. She said they were so far off the road that they could not have been seen from the road. The truck was still up in a tree. It is thought that they would have stopped somewhere else but it is not known where because he was the driver at the time of the wreck. Other info is not available yet. I'm not asking for anything but an ear tonight and maybe anybody on here that still prays, please pray for my grandson Ethan. Jeesh, One month ago to the day Ethan turned 15 and now has lost his dad. He'll be here tomorrow to help me build a cross and I'll accompany him to the spot.
Thanks for the ear guys!

 

[Tripper]

Soooo sorry to hear!!! Life can change in a heartbeat & will definitely be praying for you guys... stay strong!

BoB

 

[Bamamav]

Man, I hate to hear anything like this. Your in our thoughts and prayers.

 

[smallfoot]

Thanks trip and bama!

 

[Couper]

Small....I'm so sorry to hear this. So sorry for your loss and I know you will help your grandson get thru this. You all will be in my prayers pal

 

[smallfoot]

Thanks Coup!

 

[redidbull]

So very sorry to hear. You all our in our thought and prayers. Jim

 

[lowbudget50]

Damn, never want to hear this. Life is short and fragile for surem thoughts are with your family my friend

 

[forbigpicture]

Oh smalls, so hate to hear this, we all never think anything like this will
happen to us, we are never really prepared. I wish Ethan peace and strength,
smalls you and all concerned will be in our thoughts.

 

[bob w]

Terrible, just terrible. I hope you and Ethan have the strength to recover from this tragedy.

 

[MercuryMac]

My condolences to you and your family, Smallfoot.
That poor young fella.

 

[kenny c]

Sorry to hear this. You and your family are in my thoughts. Sorry for your loss.

 

[dutch]

that is awefull news... I hope someone will be able to find what happened there. It may just help Ethan to cope...
I wish you guys all strenght you need.

 

[anvil]

So sorry for your loss. Many prayers will be said.

 

[lazarat]

Adding prayers and condolences, May God bless Ethan, and all of those close to these souls.

.
.

 

[smallfoot]

Sitting here with tears in my eyes, not for just the sorrowful situation but for the kindness ya'll have offered me and my family! From the bottom of my heart I thank all of you for your kind words, thoughts, and prayers...

 

[soltz]

Sorry for the loss will keep good thoughts come your way.

 

[Old Iron]

I'm so sorry to hear of this tragedy.
That young man will be lost for a while and will need someone to lean on. I know you will be there for him.
My prayers go out for the entire family.

 

[smallfoot]

Thanks soltz and old iron! Ethan came out this morning and we started the cross. I thought it was to be put up today but was mistaken. Anyway, because I built the sawmill, I have several wood types and sizes so he had his choice. Holly and I helped him with his ideas only with encouragement. I gave him options on whatever he wanted to do and slowly he worked on his ideas and while we got the basic cross done,, he elected to take it home and do the final touches. I got him a wood burning tool for Christmas so he wants to make his message and anything else with that. About the only thing I tried to steer him towards was the size and placement. I told him that it would be a good idea to consider any landowner in placement. I mentioned that if he kept his memorial within reason on size and placement, close to the fence, but only the public side and only as tall as any fence that lines the road in that area, it would remain there longer. I mentioned mowing crews and utility workers that need that room. I found out there is a fence and so we made a post 6 feet long to be placed in the ground 2' which will keep his monument even with the fence. The state and the county are pretty cool about leaving those things alone as long as they don't create a problem for anyone. Unfortunately, there are quite a few memorials and crosses alongside our roads around here. All the roads I travel all the time. It's a major thoroughfare for being a two lane country road as it leads to our beaches. The road to my place is frequently called bloody 42. There's more crosses than miles... Few years back I counted 23 memorials in 10 miles

 

[Neto]

Sorry to hear this sad news. A young man loosing his parents. I do believe in the God of mercy and love, and will pray for Ethan. (I won't easily forget his name, because my brother has a grandson by the same name, and roughly the same age, just a bit older, i think.)
I was a stranger to this practice of putting up a memorial at the accident site until my daughter's boyfriend was killed in an auto accident not far from our home. We put up a cross we had made, and it stayed up for some years, but later a road crew did some work on that stretch and it disappeared. So keeping it in the fence row is a good idea. (We had it close to the fence, but it was just an electric fence, so not so permanent.) I've wondered what the custom is for how long these should be kept up, before you bring it home to keep it. (We are still good friends with his parents, who treat our daughter like a daughter to them as well, and her children like they were their own grandchildren.)
I hope that his work on this cross will be meaningful for him, and will in some way help him get through this. But most of all, for the grace of God to hold him up. (I hope I'm not getting too "religious" here, but in the book of James it says that true religion is looking after the needs of widows and orphans.)