(Above) Bill Slade getting in for his ride!
(Above) Bill taking his last lap as life nears the end.
(Above) Bill getting out after ride, check out the smile!
(Above) Bill and his wife, Joyce Slade.
(Left)Bill Slade and (Right) Stock Car Driver, Jay Parrish. ___________________________________________________
What we stock car driver's take for granted, puts a smile on his face and happiness in his heart.
I wake up in the morning and flip the light switch, take a shower and drive to work, and take it all for granted. I post on this blog site about news and rumors and forget sometimes about life. After having the honor to meet Bill Slade and his fine family made me do a reality check. I have won stock car races in my life time and it was so much fun, but having a small part in seeing that Bill had his dream come true was worth it all. Monday morning I got a call from my wife to call a man from Hospice. I called him and he needed a stock car for a cancer patient to ride in as hios last wish. He said that this patients last wish was to ride in a stock car. I had just pulled the motor and transmission out of my stock car but told him that I would find someone. I called Richard "Doodle" Dickens wife Angie and ask her to have Doodle to call me and told her why. She informed me that his rear end was out which I knew but had forgot. I thought of Ricky Dickens, Bobby White, Chad Willis and etc... but they all have sheet metal in the car and only one person could be in their car and that was driver only. Then I thought of Sportsman car owner, Jerry Cohron. Jerry told me his car's engine was sour and I remember that it tore up at Highland Rim Speedway Saturday night. But Jerry called Jay Parrish for me. About thirty minutes later my cell rings and it is driver and car owner Jay Parrish. I told Jay what little I knew and he never hesitated, he said sure. At six o'clock we all met at Beech Bend Raceway in the pit area of the oval track. Jay had his 1988 Chevy Monte Carlo #79 unloaded and when Bill got there Jay gave him a Parrish Racing Tee-Shirt and Bill put it on then. I can't say enough about Jay and JoAnn Parrish, they are some very fine folks as well as race fans. Also, the Hospice folks were super great to work with. The entire Slade family were so kind. Dallas Jones, Beech Bend owner really made this come true for Bill also by letting them use the race track. So, in closing with this blog I must say Monday night I met a real man, Bill Slade and for that night I will also remember and cherish in my heart. Thanks to, Hospice of Southern Kentucky, Jay and JoAnn Parrish, Dallas and Alfreda Jones (Beech Bend Raceway) and last but not least my wife Margaret. May God be with Bill and the entire Slade family during this trying time. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.
6 comments:
Now our racing families showed real true racing spirit. Our thoughts and prayers goes out to the Slade family.
My thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Slade and his family.
This story truely touched me deep down in side... while reading this story i got choked up and think that everyone should be this nice and always when given the chance to make someones day better do it ...
I would like to take this time to personally thank Odell and Margaret Turner. Bill is my dad and growing up watching the races at Beech Bend, Highland Rim and other tracks that we could make it to was real excitement. We would watch the cars and pick our favorites for the heat starting up. Bill would tell me about the cars and why they were setup like they were. He would tell me about his dad and watching him race. Bill always wanted a car of his own but was never able to. Being able to ride around that track with Jay Parrish was one of the biggest highlights of his life. I cannot say enough about Jay and his wife Jo Ann. I was the first one at the track that night and shortly after my arrival, Jay pulls up with his car on a trailer. I wasn't sure if he was the one driving Bill or not. I pulled up beside him and asked him if he was running some laps or if he had other reasons for being there. He said that he was there to give someone a ride. I couldn't believe that this was actually going to happen. I got out of my van and asked Jay if he knew the story and why he was doing this. He told me that the only thing he knew was that someone was ill and wanted to ride in a stockcar. That is all he needed to hear and was ready to go. That my friends is a real man. He had told me that he ran that car Sat. night and the motor was just about gone. I told him not to blow it. He stopped me and said that it is well worth if it does. The next thing I knew they unloaded the car and Jay takes the time to polish his car to make sure that it was cleaned up before Bill got there. One by one family and friends start coming in and finally he arrives. I thought we would have to help him in the car, but he lifted his leg up and climbed in like he had seen all his heros do. Jay come up to him and handed him a Parrish Race Team Tee-shirt and made us all feel as part of his team. After pictures, hugs and all the excitement, it was time to ride. Jay took him out on the track and ran that car as fast as he could and Bill could not stop smiling. They went around for 9 laps and it was like running the Daytona 500 for Bill. With all of the bad news floating around about the economy, politics, war, etc. it is great to see and meet people that have not lost sight of brotherly love. I have great respect for all that helped bring this together for Bill and my family. Thank You for everything.
Chris
I just want to say that I am so proud of you BIG brother!!! It is so awesome to see you share your love for racing with someone who really deserves the ride of a lifetime!!! Thanks for being the man that you are and thanks for being my BIG brother!! Jay it is a great pleasure to share with my friends what kind of person you are!!
I love you!!!
Laura
bill,you are a fine feller i worked with you on some jobs for jerry davis,i wish you and your family all the happiness that a person can give,i hope that your home in heaven is as good as a person can have,my familys thoughts and prayers go to you and your family,and may god bless your soul!!
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