Unfortunately, I'm so sad to say that Chad's body was found today. He was found in a construction zone just two miles away from where hundreds of people were searching for four days.
I found out the news while on our drive up to see my family in Missouri before we leave for our vacation to Canada. Keegan was in his favorite Chinese restaurant getting lunch and came out to find me sobbing in the passenger seat of the car.
I cried for rest of the drive. A few tears have fallen throughout the day as friends and family post pictures and memories of what an amazing man Chad was.
He was a youth pastor. He was one of the first volunteers to go to Joplin after the tornado hit in 2011. He was one of the most selfless and generous men I've ever met. Even though his exterior look of tattoos and stretched ears made him look tough, his heart was made of gold.
He leaves behind a wife and a 13 month old son. His son will never remember his father.
I told Keegan that this entire thing would have been "easier" if Chad had been killed in a car accident. The fact that his friends, family and community held out hope since Monday made the horrible news even harder to take.
What breaks my heart the most is that the search crews were only two miles away from where he was found. As of right now, we don't know if he was there the entire time, or if his body was left there last night, but to think that he could have been slowly dying, hearing the calls of his loved ones just a few steps away hurts my heart. For his sake, I hope that whatever happened to him was quick and painless. To think that he was in pain and scared makes me feel sick.
I hope that the police figure out what happened. What little information we have just doesn't add up. I can't believe that someone could be so cruel and heartless. It's not supposed to happen to the good guys. Chad was one of the good guys.
I'm sorry that my last few posts have been so negative and sad. I just never thought that something like this would happen to me, to a friend of mine, as cliche as that sounds.
Chad was a man of strong faith. I hope that helps the pain his family is feeling.
Oh my gosh, I am so very sorry for the loss of your friend. Big hugs to you and your community.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry my love. Its so very hard, and then when we cant understand it, oye. :(( Praying for you, for his family and all those grieving.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy your vacation - you deserve it.
xxo
I am so sorry.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry that you lost a friend. I can tell you from personal experience that being a person of faith does not make losing a family member any easier. But I think it helps to have the love and support of your church family, as well as family and friends. Those who choose to believe that they will see their loved one in heaven find that very comforting.
ReplyDeleteSorry for your loss! My heart goes out to his family! May he RIP.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness...my heart is just breaking. This is so sad. I'm sad for you, for him and especially for his wife and child.
ReplyDeleteI am so incredibly sorry to hear that. I sure hope they can figure out what happened and bring the family some sense of peace.
ReplyDeleteI am so so so sorry. My husband's older brother went missing in January and not only do we know the pain of the "not knowing", we now know he is no longer alive but we most likely will never get his body or an explanation.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine the pain of his family and that his son will never know him. It breaks my heart. I'm so sorry.