Community surrounds daughter of man killed in weekend storms in Hartselle

HARTZELLE, Ala. (WAFF) – Tragedy struck a family in Hartselle during Saturday’s storm.

Kenneth Dale Cooper, 67, died at a Morgan County hospital under his mobile home. Kelly Lovelady was sleeping soundly in her home when she received a devastating call about her father.

“The third caller called, it was the owner of my father’s apartment, and I said: “Oh, Lord. Please, let everything be fine,” Lovelady said.

Fighting back tears, Lovelady says the homeowner reported her father was trapped under his trailer after the storm hit the area.

“It’s all very fresh. It’s very difficult,” she says.

Lovelady goes on to hear her father in a good mood on the phone with her landlord.

“He was cut. He laughed. He said he was fine, but he wasn’t. He was in shock,” he says.

Cooper was rescued from under the mobile home and later transported to the hospital. Lovelady says her father went into cardiac arrest twice in the hospital before he died.

Lovelady says her father enjoyed all the simple pleasures of life.

“People felt his love, his sincerity. He was a simple man. “He loved mowing yards, lawnmower carving, weeding and model cars.”

After the tragedy, the Hartselle community rallied around the Cooper family. The family was founded a GoFundMe account to help with funeral expenses, and that account reached more than $7,000.

“The outpouring of love from the community … It just shows the impact he’s had,” Lovelady says.

Click here to subscribe on YouTube: Watch the latest WAFF 48 news, sports and weather on our YouTube channel!

Copyright 2023 WAFF. All rights reserved.