The Great Ones-Kevin Willard
“Buddy, you can jump in the truck with me anytime.” Those are probably the last words Kevin Willard said to me. Since I have been a manufacture rep, those are the kindest and most satisfying words for me to ever hear. It lets me know that I am doing my job and doing it right.
I was riding with Kevin a while back and we had spent some time on some dairies in the Central Valley of California. I can’t recall very many reps whose customers look forward to seeing them as much as Kevin’s accounts did. He was definitely a “glass half full” kind of person and his smile and demeanor would light up a room like no other.
I didn’t know Kevin as well as a lot of other people did, but he made you feel like you were his best friend. There’s not a lot of people that behold to that quality. You can’t fake it and you don’t just turn it on and off like a light.
I remember Kevin bragging on his daughter’s singing and he even played some of their music while we were driving. I like the music that he and the Cadillac Cowboys played and I’ll bet my last dollar that they were destined for more greatness than they had already achieved in the Central Valley. I shared some Bruce Robison songs that I brought with me from Texas with him and he really enjoyed it. It was kind of like a moment of acceptance for me. I felt like we were on the same level.
Every time I was around Kevin, he always seemed to mention his wife and family. They were his world and he was one proud papa and husband. Music and work were important to him, but family was his light. Like Kevin, I wish I had known them better.
Kevin loved life and lived it to the fullest. He never had an enemy and honest to God, I don’t think he ever met a stranger. I wish I had been around him more and got to know him better. I wanted to be Kevin. He had an aura around him that was like a tractor beam; it just pulled you in. I want to pattern myself around this amazing human being. His personality and the way he carried himself was how I wanted to be.
I don’t understand why the good ones are taken so young. I’m sure there is some kind of hidden meaning that we will relate to someday, but I would have rather spent more time riding with Kevin.
Here’s to you pard. I miss you dearly.
