
Memorial fund for Ty Edwards
Donation protected
I come to you with a heavy & humble heart today. As most of you are aware Ty, a father of two boys, Jarod & Hunter, passed away on Saturday. As with any father, he loved his boys with every fiber of his being. The love and pride that he felt for them cannot be measured. The two of them are as if you split Ty in half. Jarod, our oldest is our golfer. He is a senior at Dalton State currently on a golf scholarship. Ty was the only teacher that Jarod had until he hit his college years. Everything Mr.Goodloe taught Ty, he then taught Jarod. On February 20th, 2 days before Ty’s 63rd birthday, Jarod won his first collegiate tournament…at Kinderlou Forest in Valdosta. I was able to get him down there for at least Monday of that tournament so that Ty could see Jarod play. Of course, no one knew that it would be the last time that Jarod had his dad there with him. Then the day after Ty passed, Jarod got his first hole in one. I would say that one had a little bit of help. Hunter, very aptly named, has been Ty’s constant hunting and fishing partner for the last 20 years. He took Hunter to a friend’s property in Kentucky to hunt multiple times a season for years. All the things that Coach Landrum, Ty’s wrestling coach, taught Ty about hunting, again Ty taught Hunter. They both loved to go scouting together for the perfect tree to hang their stands. When Hunter was younger many times, they would either have a 2man stand or hang 2 stands together so that Ty could be right there with Hunter. They loved the preparation of the hunt as much as the hunt itself. And I truly think Hunter gobbled like a turkey before he said his first words. Every spring it was as if we had dueling turkeys in the house while the two of them ran their calls getting ready for turkey season. Hunter was 5 when he killed his first turkey. I truly don’t know who was more excited.
All this to say, as many people do, Ty put off preparations for after his death. At the time of Ty’s cancer diagnosis, he believed that he was a very healthy 54 year old. By all accounts, he seemed as much and stayed very active with the boys. He never slowed down. He was very consistent about his physicals from the time that Jarod was first born. Having lost his own father when he was 11, Ty wanted to make sure that he would always be here for his boys. Unfortunately, though, in one of his annual physicals his renal cell carcinoma was detected in a chest x-ray. It had spread and was diagnosed as stage 4. From this point on Ty was unable to obtain life insurance. Through the course of countless cancer treatment therapies, Ty was put on disability. That was his only source of income for the last few years of his life. My point being, towards the end of his life he did not have a lot monetarily because of the cancer. It was not because he didn’t have a will to work and provide, his body just did not allow him that.
As I said before, I come to you with a heavy & humble heart to ask for your help. In the short term, we will need help paying for his funeral. It was Ty’s wish to be cremated, so that expense will be lessened. In the mid-term, the home he lived in was a rental and the boys would need to vacate in a short amount of time. The expense of this may not be a great deal to some, but with the limited income that Ty was receiving there won’t be a lot left at the boys’ disposal. The long term need is for living expenses for Jarod & Hunter until they can support themselves. I will of course, do all that I humanly can to support them in every way through this time in their lives. They both loved their Daddy so much and even though they find solace in the fact that he is no longer hurting, they are heartbroken. I want to give them the ability of allowing their Daddy dignity in death with a thoughtful memorial, without having to worry about the expense of it all. As well as, not being worried about their own wellbeing.
If you are unable to donate, please continue to pray for Jarod and Hunter. They are strong boys, but even the strongest break sometimes.
If you would like to donate specifically to the funeral home, that name and number is: Southern Cremations & Funerals. [phone redacted].
Lastly, from the bottom of our hearts, we all say Thank You. Thank you for you help. Thank you for your love and prayers. Thank you for loving Ty.
Organizer
Jeannie Edwards
Organizer
Stockbridge, GA