Family Remembers Father That Passed Away Six Days After Tornado Destroyed Their Home
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GARLAND (CBS 11) - Work crews used heavy machinery to tear through homes in Garland decimated by last month's tornado.
The Stanley family watched while their childhood home was leveled.
"I moved here when I was 14. This place is part of me", said Daryl Stanley.
Their home is one of many on Zion Road that need to come down. The Stanley's is the second on their block to be wiped out.
"You hear a lot of people say… it's just a house", said Stanley. "Well, it's just a house if you sell it to somebody else, and the house is still there, and you're gone. But if you're still there and the house is just blown away like this… it's not just a house."
Stanley and his brother stayed on the property all morning. More than once, they shouted for the backhoe to stop, so they could retrieve items spotted during the demolition.
"Every time you see something, it hits you in the heart, and you want to grab it", said Stanley. "But you can't save everything. Just save what you can get."
One item was a blanket marked with Word War II insignia. Stanley said it belonged to his father.
Henry Grady Stanley road out the storm inside the home with his wife. They both made its out safely, but Henry passed away just 6 days later from a respiratory condition.
CBS 11 interviewed Stanley in 2004 about his involvement in the war. He survived 6 years as a POW after making the infamous Bataan Death March.
"He was a survivor," Stanley said. "POW 291."
The family doesn't plan to rebuild in Garland, but will keep the property. For now, they're considering planting a garden in Henry's honor.
"It's been a very emotional day," said Stanley. "But it's something I had to witness, so we can move on."
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