Grieving Dad Has Bag Stolen from Truck Containing Notes & Donations from Son's Funeral
I cannot imagine the loss of a child. As I think about my own kids, the idea that they will out live me fills me with wonder.
My wife and I have lived in the world our generation dreamed of. The next generation will see our limits and envision a new world.
The best part: we get to eventually say things like “kids these days.” How cool is that?
Dr. Greg Tudor knows the weight of grief in a world where you out live your children. His son Gabriel Tudor died Dec. 15 from injuries after a car crash.
He was struck by a truck on I-74 back on Dec. 14. The family gathered for Gabriel’s funeral Dec. 22 at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Peoria, Illinois.
Gabriel spent four and a half years at St. Cloud State University studying biomedical sciences. He had hoped to go into emergency medicine like his father.
When Gabriel died, his memorial was attended by 800 people. Scheduled for three hours, it lasted five and at the end, his family was handed a bag of cards and checks. The checks were to be donated to charity in Gabriel’s memory.
The family stayed at a Holiday Inn after donating some of Gabriel’s furniture and packing his belongings. After, they began the five and a half hour trip home the noticed the bag was missing.
“It was a five-and-a-half hour drive from Peoria to Rochester, so my plan was to have one of my kids drive while I started to look through those memories,” Dr. Turor said. He never had the chance.
Dr. Tudor doesn’t even want the money back, just the cards with memories of his son. The bag itself is kelly green with the name of the funeral home on it, Wright and Salmon.
It is 16 inches tall and 8 inches wide with no zipper. Dr. Tudor just tied the handles together with a bow.
If you can help the family out, please do so. They know whoever took the bag may be reluctant to return it and they just ask the person to mail it to: Wright and Salmon Mortuary, 2416 N. North St., Peoria, IL 61604.
“I think, I don’t know, for some reason that I have this hope that someone just took a long time to go through and get the money out. I have hope that someone just might put it in the mailbox or turn it into the police.” Dr. Tudor said.
I wish I had known Gabriel so I could send the family a card. I am sure in this time of grief, they want to hold onto those memories they have of him while also taking joy in the lives he touched.
“In any case, I thank all of you for your kind words, thoughts and prayers. We are not yet healed, however the bitter sting of our loss has been eased and mitigated by the support and love our wonderful community has poured out upon us,” Dr. Tudor said.
If anyone has any information or knows where the bag is, please return it. Doing so would help soothe a hurting heart.
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