Use Brad's Truck

 

It was OKC Police Chaplain and friend on my caller ID. It was November 5, 2021 at 9:01 a.m. My heart sank.

 

"Richard are you at your office."

"No. Greg. We're in Wichita with our daughter and grandkids."

"Oh, Richard, I hate to tell you this over the phone...."

Before he said the next word I knew I would never see Brad alive again. Brad was gone and our lives were forever changed. He is now forever 32.

 

The last time I saw our son truly happy was in his "new-to-him" truck. That was at the beginning of October 2021.

 

Hi, I'm Richard May. My wife is JeannaLynn. Our daughter is Brittney (B-May) Lemons. Our daughter-in-love is Sarah May. Will you please help us put Brad's Truck back into service?

 

Brad was the hardest worker I ever knew. He was 6'2". Normally about 215. There are so many of our memories that are about him working. The "profile picture" for this GoFund Me you can still find on the OKCPD Facebook page from Nov 30, 2015 with the caption: "This is a photo of Officer Brad May working to clear the roadway near SW 15th and Sara Rd. The tree was blocking two lanes of traffic and posed a hazard to the public as several drivers inadvertently struck the large tree. Officer May brought his own chainsaw to the scene where he cut and removed the tree and its branches, clearing the roadway so that safe travel could resume."

 

Just before he entered the OKC Police Academy, Brad learned that a single dad with 3 special-needs kids was about to move into the first house he ever owned, but the grass in the yard was knee-deep. Trying to get the job done before the dad could know, Brad started cutting, having to stop every 5 feet or so to clear the blades. When he was nearly done, his mower malfunctioned and when he reached to sweep the grass, the blade engaged and cut off the top of his right-hand trigger finger. We understand that his nickname at the Academy was Stubbs. He trained to fire his weapon with his middle finger and was one of the top marksmen in his class. He was selected as Police Officer of the Year in his third year with the department ( You can see that story on the OKCPD Facebook page, too. Brad was in the Honor Guard, traveling to many funerals of police officers with departments that would send honor guards to his memorial.

 

Brad had a lawn/tree cutting/fence building/whatever-the-heck-you-needed business from late high school. He worked a lot for Mr. A at Yukon High School. He had a number of yard clients, many of whom were elderly people that Brad never approached for payment. He worked in Special Olympics before and during his police career (see pic).

 

One of the last days I worked with Brad, he was asked by Mr. Mathers from the High School to help him take down a chainlink fence at one home and put it back up at another. Brad's help on that Saturday had to back out, so Brad asked if I would join him. We might have said 50 words to each other during that 8 hour job, but it was so much fun watching my son work that hard for a friend.

 

Brad owned and used another truck during those years of outdoor, hard work on his 6 days off with OKCPD. He had a wreck in it in September and it was totaled. In his search for a replacement, he found the Ford F-250 truck he had dreamed of having for years. It is the Lariat package. Brad said it had bells and whistles on it that he didn't need, but he was getting as good a price as one could get with pandemic prices on used vehicles the way they were. He talked with Sarah because he knew it was going to be a sizeable financial investment. Sarah told him that he had found his dream truck and he should to get it. They would make it work.

 

For the last two years, Brad was on an unusual downward spiral. We know some of the things, but not all, that led him to taking his own life. We firmly believe his biggest emotional struggles were going to diminish, but on the night of November 4th, he lost sight of that HOPE and made a mistake with permanent consequences. We know that when things had worked out, this new-to-him truck was going to be put to the best service imaginable.

 

We still want it to be. To be honest. We don't personally need this truck. We are empty-nesters. We work together in the Life, Relationship, Marriage Coaching non-profit that we built 12 years ago. We have one vehicle and that's all we need for life.

 

It's not all we need for service, though. Three or four times per year, I need a truck. I bet you do, too, if you don't already have one. Brad has inspired me to carry on his service work. I'm not as strong and talented as he, but I can do some things for others that require a truck. I can pull people out of ditches when the snow has caused a minor slip off the road. I am asked occasionally if I can help someone move and then asked if I have a truck. I can put that truck to good use, but not enough.

 

With special consideration for those who contribute to this GoFund Me need, we want to make Brad's Truck available to others who have been asked to help do something in service of others and need a truck to get it done. Helping a single mom move to a new home? Use Brad's truck. Are you doing some cleanup after a tornado? Brad's Truck is available. Are there limbs across the road that are blocking neighbors from safe travel? Brad's truck is waiting. Are you carrying some kids to their first pheasant hunt? You might want Brad's truck. Does Grandma need some firewood? Come get Brad's truck. Volunteering for Special Olympics, Relay for Life or other great cause that Brad and you care about - and need a truck? Just saying it sounds so good to this heartbroken family: "Hey, we can use Brad's Truck." Say it out loud.

 

We're appealing to police officers, yard workers, people whom Brad worked for, teachers and classmates, friends, hunters and fisherman like Brad, and people who love hard workers who serve others. We want to get this done ASAP as Brad's wife cannot continue to make payments. Will you help us with this GoFund Me cause? Brad's truck is waiting.

 



 





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