The family of Tony Lee Stafford will hold a Vigil honoring his life on August 27th, from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. at 1209 Crawford Street. The Vigil will include a balloon release and prayer. Guests are asked to bring white candles and lawn chairs.
Eugene Edge, president of the local chapter of the NAACP, voiced support.
“NAACP is just going to be there as a support to the family because they reached out to us, because they didn’t think things were happening fast enough, but I reassured them that they were, there’s just a process that normally takes time.”
Mr. Edge also mentioned the NAACP’s desire to help bring closure.
“We’re just a support team for the family. In the future we may do some mediation on behalf of the family, reaching out to the state president on the state level seeing what they could do. The vigil is organized by the family.”
“The family is looking for information. We want to be able to mediate with the employer to provide some type of information to their family. That’s the only mediation we’ll be able to do. Anything else will be done by attorneys.”
The family still want answers as to why the company did not call 911.
Deputy Coroner Mathis Wright was willing to discuss the case.
“Its very, very odd. In most situations most people are going to call the ambulance.”
“I don’t know why they didn’t call. I can’t speculate on why they didn’t.”
He responded to claims Mr. Stafford did not want an ambulance.
“Even if he had said it, being the one’s in control, it should have just been words, because you are still going to take him.”
“It would have less appearance of negligence.”
Mr. Stafford’s younger brother, Darrel Stafford, previously told of how much Mr. Stafford had meant to his family and friends.
“There was a lot of positive about Tony. I didn’t meet one person when I was at home, a week or two ago, that didn’t need Tony. People were saying what he was supposed to be coming over to do.”
“Every day you have to work to live. That’s what took him out, but that was his purpose.”
Ms. Johnson said how Mr. Stafford had planned to visit their brother upon recovery.
“He told me in the hospital, ‘When I get well, I’m going up to Darrel’s. He got a lot of stuff he [needs] me to do. I’m going to get better. I’m going up to Darrel’s.’”
Darrel Stafford told of his brother’s influence on his children.
“He was an uncle to his nephews all the way in Georgia. Because when we were working on something, he helped me teach them how to do things.”
He described the feeling of loss at his brother’s death.
“That connection. That’s gone. People don’t know how I feel. It’s a deep cut.”
Ms. Johnson shared her own reminisces about her brother, summing up his impact.
“He was a good man. A hard-working man. He always smiled at everyone he met.”