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E v e r y t i m e w e w e n t t o g e t g a s h e
Once a Daddy’s Girl, w o o u u n l d g e a t n o a n d n d t e a v l e n t o e h p e d
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Always a Daddy’s Girl. h i r m c p e r f b c t t t h e h i n g e y m o h u s t o i n g n
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By Lynn Caldwell v e r y s p e c i a l ‘ f l i c k ” o f t h e m o n e y .
W h e n m y d a d d y g o t b a c k i n t h e
c a r h e w o u l d g r i n f r o m e a r t o e a r
a n d l a u g h . I t r e a l l y w a s n ’ t u n t i l
a f t e r m y d a d d y ’ s d e a t h t h a t I
T h i s i s b y f a r m y f a v o r i t e m e m o r y
u n d e r s t o o d t h e m a g n i t u d e o f t h i s
o f m y d a d d y . O f a l l t h e m e m o r i e s
s m a l l a c t o f k i n d n e s s .
I h a v e o f h i m , t h i s i s t h e o n e t h a t
m a k e s m e s m i l e , t h e o n e t h a t
A s a m a t t e r o f f a c t , i t w a s a c o l d
e m b o d i e s a l l t h e s e l f l e s s n e s s ,
D e c e m b e r d a y i n 1 9 8 4 a s m y
k i n d n e s s , g o o d n e s s , a n d p u r p o s e
m o t h e r , b r o t h e r , a n d I w e r e
JOHN HAYNIE CALDWELL
t h a t w a s i n h i s h e a r t .
LYNN & DAD
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W h e n I w a s a l i t t l e g i r l I t o o k t o t h e c e m e t e r y t o b u r y m y 5 4 -
y e a r - o l d d a d d y t h a t I r e a l i z e d
e v e r y o p p o r t u n i t y t o b e w i t h m y
w h a t a t r u l y g r e a t m a n m y d a d d y
Being a daddy’s girl there was really L y n n C a l d w e l l i s f r o m M i l a n , T N a n d a f t e r
d a d d y w h e t h e r i t b e w a t c h i n g
w a s . s h e w e n t o f f t o c o l l e g e h e r p a r e n t s m o v e d
nothing that could have diminished my
h i m s c a l e a n d g u t f i s h a n d f r y
t o J a c k s o n , T N b u t j o k i n g l y s h e s a y s , “ I
love for my daddy but at that very
t h e m o r g o i n g t o t h e g a s s t a t i o n
f o u n d t h e m a n d a l s o m o v e d t o J a c k s o n ! ”
A s w e d r o v e p a s t t h e g a s s t a t i o n
moment when he got back in the car I
w i t h h i m .
t h a t t h i s y o u n g m a n , n o w m i d d l e -
C a l d w e l l r e t i r e d f r o m t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f
realized what made my daddy so special
C h i l d r e n ’ s S e r v i c e s a f t e r 3 0 y e a r s o f
a g e d , s t i l l w o r k e d a t , I s a w a m a n
and why I loved him so much.
O n e d a y m y m o t h e r w a s w i t h u s
s e r v i c e .
i n a p a i r o f c o v e r a l l s a n d a c a p
a n d I n o t i c e d m y d a d d y s t a n d i n g
s t o p p u m p i n g g a s a n d h e w a l k e d
L y n n v o l u n t e e r e d f o r 1 9 y e a r s d o i n g t h e
w i t h a m a n t h a t p u m p e d o u r g a s
t o w a r d t h e r o a d . H e s l o w l y t o o k f u n d r a i s i n g f o r J a c k s o n , T e n n e s s e e ’ s
a n d d o i n g s o m e t h i n g w i t h t h e
p r i v a t e “ n o - k i l l ” h u m a n e s o c i e t y .
o f f h i s c a p a n d p l a c e d i t o v e r h i s
d o l l a r b i l l s . I a s k e d m y m o t h e r
h e a r t a s t e a r s r o l l e d d o w n h i s
w h a t h e w a s d o i n g a n d s h e C a l d w e l l i s a R u l e 3 1 L i s t e d F a m i l y M e d i a t o r
f a c e .
w i t h a s p e c i a l t y i n d o m e s t i c v i o l e n c e .
e x p l a i n e d t o m e t h a t t h e y o u n g
m a n w a s m e n t a l l y c h a l l e n g e d a n d
C a l d w e l l ’ s p a s s i o n h a s a l w a y s b e e n p e o p l e
O f a l l t h e f r i e n d s a n d f a m i l y t h a t
m y d a d d y w a s t e a c h i n g h i m h o w
a n d a n i m a l s a s w e l l a s n a t u r e .
s h o w e d u p a t t h e f u n e r a l a n d o f
t o c o u n t b a c k c h a n g e .
L y n n s a y s , “ I g u e s s y o u c o u l d s a y
a l l t h e f l o w e r s , c a r d s a n d c a l l s
I l o v e a l l l i v i n g t h i n g s . M o s t o f m y
t h i s w a s t h e m o s t s p e c i a l a n d
I n o t i c e d w h i l e m y d a d d y w a s
w r i t i n g s r e f l e c t t h o s e t h i n g s a s
s e n t i m e n t a l a c t o f s y m p a t h y
w e l l a s h o n o r i n g a n d
d o i n g t h i s t h a t h e h a d a s m i l e
b e s t o w e d u p o n m y f a m i l y a n d
m e m o r i a l i z i n g t h e d e c e a s e d . I
t h a t w a s u n l i k e h i s u s u a l s m i l e s
d a b b l e i n w r i t i n g t o s o o t h e
o n e o f t h e m o s t p r e c i o u s
t h a t I s a w w h e n h e t o l d a f u n n y
m y s o u l a n d I a m a w r i t e r
m e m o r i e s I h a v e t o d a y o f m y
s t o r y o r a j o k e w h i c h w a s q u i t e f o r Y ’ a l l . c o m o n l i n e m a g a z i n e . "
d a d d y a n d t h e y o u n g m a n w h o s e
o f t e n .
l i f e h e i n f l u e n c e d .
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