It was two of the worst days of my life. I can remember them like they were yesterday. The first was that sunny afternoon at GHS when Justin Potter asked me if I had heard about the wreck Heath was in. The second was when Chad Hill called me and informed me that my friend had passed on. Heath was born on March 22, 1971 and would have been 38 this month. He died January 13, 2007, after a long and hard fight, from complications from that fateful wreck so many years ago. You probably remember him being tall and slim but not many knew that he grew to be 6' 8" tall. Heath never "recovered" from the wreck which gave him a closed head injury. Although he could never speak again he still communicated with his eyes if he wanted to talk to you. His family and care givers knew exactly what he was saying just by looking in his eyes. I saw it myself when his little sister would climb up on "Bubba's" bed to play with him. Heath would just light up. Gail, Tom, Chad, and countless others are to be commended for their tireless work with Heath over the years. We could all go visit him but we always left. They didn't have that option and they stood proud over their son and brother. I remember Gail making sure that Heath got to go to homecoming in Jonesboro one year, maybe his senior year, which was a task in itself with all of the medical needs. When Heath went to be with the Lord he was given an awesome sendoff. The funeral was very honoring of his life and after all was said and done, Gail and Tom had a party to celebrate his life with all of the friends and family that could attend. The amount of people who showed up proved that Heath was still loved after all that time had passed. There were also several that sent their regards but weren't in a position to attend. Gail has said not to be a stranger so when your in town next time give "Mom" a call or stop by and visit. Sorry this was so long but Heath deserved it and so many of you don't know the whole story.
I found out about Heath's passing from Jason after I started this website and was very sad to hear about it. I remember a small group of our class members visited Heath after his accident and it was very heartbreaking to see him. It still makes me very sad to think about that wreck and the horrible outcome. May God bless Heath and his family!
Jason McDonald
It was two of the worst days of my life. I can remember them like they were yesterday. The first was that sunny afternoon at GHS when Justin Potter asked me if I had heard about the wreck Heath was in. The second was when Chad Hill called me and informed me that my friend had passed on. Heath was born on March 22, 1971 and would have been 38 this month. He died January 13, 2007, after a long and hard fight, from complications from that fateful wreck so many years ago. You probably remember him being tall and slim but not many knew that he grew to be 6' 8" tall. Heath never "recovered" from the wreck which gave him a closed head injury. Although he could never speak again he still communicated with his eyes if he wanted to talk to you. His family and care givers knew exactly what he was saying just by looking in his eyes. I saw it myself when his little sister would climb up on "Bubba's" bed to play with him. Heath would just light up. Gail, Tom, Chad, and countless others are to be commended for their tireless work with Heath over the years. We could all go visit him but we always left. They didn't have that option and they stood proud over their son and brother. I remember Gail making sure that Heath got to go to homecoming in Jonesboro one year, maybe his senior year, which was a task in itself with all of the medical needs. When Heath went to be with the Lord he was given an awesome sendoff. The funeral was very honoring of his life and after all was said and done, Gail and Tom had a party to celebrate his life with all of the friends and family that could attend. The amount of people who showed up proved that Heath was still loved after all that time had passed. There were also several that sent their regards but weren't in a position to attend. Gail has said not to be a stranger so when your in town next time give "Mom" a call or stop by and visit. Sorry this was so long but Heath deserved it and so many of you don't know the whole story.Debbie Williams (McDaniel)
Thank you Jason for the nice comments.
I found out about Heath's passing from Jason after I started this website and was very sad to hear about it. I remember a small group of our class members visited Heath after his accident and it was very heartbreaking to see him. It still makes me very sad to think about that wreck and the horrible outcome. May God bless Heath and his family!