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JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL) — Nearly ten months after Hurricane Helene took Steven Cloyd’s life, his family held a remembrance ceremony to honor his legacy.
Cloyd’s wife, Keli Cloyd, and their family hosted Saturday’s ceremony. Keli and Steven were married for 36 years, and said this remembrance brings a sense of closure.
“It was knowing I got to bring him home, and I slept so great the first night I brought him home,” Keli Cloyd said. “I felt that sense of relief. I felt that connection again. The biggest thing is I know he’s good. He’s back home, he’s back home.”
Steven Cloyd’s family said he always had a sense of humor.
“He was always the one, you know, if you were feeling down or low, he’d come and make a joke, sometimes at you, but it was always tasteful to make you laugh,” Steven Cloyd’s son Matthew said.
“I’m a Dallas Cowboys fan, he’s a Minnesota Vikings fan, and I will tell you the Thursday before the flood, we were watching a Dallas Cowboys game and he had a Minnesota Vikings jersey on,” Keli said. “The Cowboys were getting spanked, and I said, ‘All right, so I can join another team?’ He said, ‘You mean the winning side?’ I said, ‘Yeah, the winning side.'”
Steven’s family is still in good hands, thanks to his brother, Gary, who is helping to rebuild their home.
“I didn’t even know how I was going to do it because my house was completely destroyed,” Gary Cloyd said. “All I had was a frame and a roof. That’s an expense I couldn’t fulfill, and I was determined to do it one way or another.”
Keli Cloyd wrote a poem for her husband.
“I once again hold you in my arms lovingly and tight/ I will see you in my dreams at night/ My beautiful angel/ I want your love/ but you are great to me from right above.”
Nancy Tucker is still missing from Washington County. Emergency officials said they will continue their efforts to locate Tucker and provide her family with closure.