Community remembers man killed in tragic lawnmower crash

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – On Monday night, 84-year-old Donald Curd passed away after a crash involving his riding lawnmower . Curd was a beloved member of the community and put a smile on the face of everyone he met.

“He would always smile at me,” said Hannah Mullins, a server at Cafe 93 in Kingsport. “I’d be running around here crazy, and he would just be like, ‘You’re working hard,” and you’d look at him and he’d just be smiling at you.”

“He texted me about every morning with something funny to say,” said Chris Mowery, whose mother was Curd’s neighbor. “He just made us all smile.”

Curd was also a member of the Bowmantown Ruritan Club, where his love for helping others was spotlighted.

“We have a monthly breakfast and that’s pretty much how we support our T-ball teams and everything we do here in this community,” said Joe Royston, a member of the Ruritan club.

“Don would deliver the meals to the older people. He’s 84, but he’d deliver them to the people in their nineties.”

Curd also took care of his neighbors, at a time when it was needed the most.

“My dad was sick, and he started coming over to help [my parents],” said Mowery. “After my father passed away, [Curd] and my mom started going to eat and spending time together, and he just took wonderful care of her.”

Curd was considered a regular at Cafe 93, making it a point to greet everyone who walked in.

“The longer that he was coming in, everybody got to know them better and better,” said Darby Killen, co-owner of the cafe. “He just turned into one of those guys that everybody loved to talk to.”

Killen said Curd sat at the same table every day. On Tuesday, the cafe decorated the table in honor of him.

“[The staff] decided that they just wanted to set that up and we said, ‘Hey, that’s a good idea, let’s go forward,'” said Killen. “Several of the customers and I think all of the employees signed cards for the family.”

Those who knew Curd said they want to remember him not by how he died, but by how he lived.

“The man put his faith in action,” said Royston. “He was a doer, not just a hearer.”

“He was just such a wonderful person and such a huge part of this community,” said Mowery.

In a joint statement, Don’s family described him as “The best dad and such a strong man of faith who was also so giving, caring and was always there for his family.” They also described him as, “A great community leader. Helping his neighbors and providing funds to families in need throughout his community.”

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