March 23, 2016, my Brother was on the interstate working on a Cinta's Uniform box truck. Gene worked hard as a wrecker driver and spent most of his days and nights on the road. My Dad does the exact same thing. Everyday. All the time. No vacations. Anyway, he was planning to load the truck up and take it back to the shop where he worked. As he was loading this truck onto the wrecker, something happened that I never thought would happen. At about 8:30 at night, an SUV driver, drunk and speeding, hit Gene and killed him on impact. At this point, my life changed forever.
Two years later....
Two years ago, I woke up praying the night before was a dream. I woke up with missed phone calls, Facebook messages, text messages, and even emails. I thought, “surely that didn’t happen”. After reading some of the messages, I realized one of my worse fears had become a reality. I’ll never forget the feeling of emptiness I felt as I woke up “tear-less” but still seem to find more tears to shed.
Waking up and flipping through songs that would potentially be played at his funeral was one of the hardest moments to overcome and I knew this would be one of the first hard moments of my upcoming week.
“It’s been a long day without my friend and I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again.”- Wiz Khalifa
Easter was the day before his funeral. It was the first holiday we’ve had were Gene wasn’t in any the photos. Our Easter consisted of watching the small children find eggs in the front yard and we all sat on the front porch at my Moms house. We tried to push through the day so the kids in our family felt “normal” but there obviously was a missing puzzle piece.
Tuesday, March 29, 2016: It was the funeral day when I realized I didn’t want to ever have someone else I loved be carelessly stuck and killed like Gene. I woke up, contacted WSFA and WAKA. I made two news reports that day, which were just an hour before the funeral. I stood up proudly and let the world know how our family felt and how we wanted to promote awareness. WSFA filmed the procession as well.
I agreed to speak at the funeral. I thought I could come up with pages of things to say about Gene. Every time I sat down, I could never find the words to say. I was speechless. I could write a whole bunch of facts and funny stories..but it had to make sense. That’s hard to do when you aren’t thinking clearly. So shortly before I stepped in front of the cameras that morning, I grabbed a pencil and piece of paper and just started writing. I managed to get a page and a half out. It talked about Gene and how he was such a wonderful family member but also how he was a rambunctious and spontaneous friend to so many as well. I took the stand and once I looked up, I was shocked to see all those people staring at me with their eyes full of tears. “Wow”, is all I could say. It was such a heartfelt moment to see everyone there for Gene as well as the family. It’s the picture I will always have painted in my mind forever. I’ve tried to explain to my family just how many people were looking back at me but I know I didn’t do it justice. It was a “see it for yourself” moment: The eyes of most were glazed over and waiting for me to say my first few words. I remember laughing and then crying. It was an incredibly hard page and a half to get through. The pallbearers were in the first row directly in front of me. Their faces will also be a mental picture I’ll never forget. My two-year wedding anniversary would never be the same as Gene was laid to rest on the same day I said "I do".
The procession: After Gene, 50-75 tow trucks and the family were in route to the grave site, then followed several dozens friends and family. I remember it took close to an hour to get to the cemetery. There was so many people filming the procession. I felt like we had paparazzi but it was such a wonderful feeling to know we would be giving Gene the best ”last ride”. Once we got to the dirt road where the cemetery was, the tow trucks stopped and let the family go in behind Gene. One tow truck driver in particular will always be a moment I will remember. He was so close to our family and he was the one driving the wrecker Gene drove the night he was killed. That wrecker drivers name was Peter. His face was so red and blotchy and he seemed so distraught. I just wanted to reach out the window and hug him. As we were sitting in front of Gene under the tent, Tyler, Gene’s Son, asked Pawpaw, “What’s in the box”? That was a tear jerking moment as Pawpaw had to explain to Tyler that “Daddy went to be with Jesus.”
For the past two years, my family and I have been graced with love, support and prayers. Speaking on behalf of the Schofield Family, we thank you all for helping us promote the Alabama Move Over Law. We pray you all continue to help spread the Move Over Law and just how important it is. We also would like the world to continue to inform our drivers that wrecker drivers are also first responders too. They should have the respect and space to do their job to make our community a better place..because all first responders should be respected and thanked for helping others daily. Thank you all for helping my family get through the moment that would change our lives forever. It’s a daily battle and something we will never “get through”..but simply live with. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
We realize our First Responders should have the space on the side of the road to safely do their everyday duties. We have been working with State Representative, Chris Sells of Alabama District 90, and have successfully passed our first bill towards CHANGE! This recent bill change now covers ALL flashing lights on the side of the road. This will be in effect on June 1, 2018. We are so thankful for Mr. Chris Sells and all of his hard work!
Now, we have decided to go STATE WIDE! We will be visiting all 67 counties in Alabama with the intentions to meeting several First Responders in each area. Because of this upcoming project, we are also starting a new non-profit organization entitled, HEART OF THE HIGHWAY. Our goal is to protect those who serve our state with pride every day!
In order to make this new organization what it needs to be, we need your help! We need donations! These donations will be placed in a bank account and ALL proceeds will go towards bringing awareness to this law. Some of our goals are to advertise the law on billboards, t-shirt’s, brochures, as well as radio stations. Please consider supporting the family of Gene Schofield Jr., as well as all fallen and active Highway Heroes! After all, they are the “Heart of the Highway”. Please help protect those who serve you.
