Family mourns 80-year-old grandmother killed by fallen tree during storm
BENTON COUNTY, Ark. (Gray News) - An 80-year-old grandmother who died after a tree struck her home is among the victims of the Memorial Day weekend storms that hit Arkansas.
Linda Dorey, 80, was identified Monday by the Benton County coroner as a victim of the storm. She died after a large red oak tree fell on her mobile home, according to The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Family members say they rushed to the scene about 3 a.m. Sunday when they heard a tree hit the home Linda Dorey shared with her husband, Paul Dorey. The couple had just celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary, KFSM reports.
Paul Dorey survived the incident and was pulled from the destroyed home by family members before authorities arrived to help.
The family told KFSM it took crews about eight hours to retrieve Linda Dorey’s body.
“We don’t even get to say goodbye,” said Linda Dorey’s daughter, Paula Hedden, in an interview with KHBS. “We don’t get to even see her because it’s so horrifying, and that’s hard.”
Jeremiah Dorey, Linda Dorey’s grandson, described her to KFSM as an “amazing woman” who was “sweet as could be.”
“Even if she was mad at you, she still would take care of you first, make sure you’re fed or something, and then get back mad at you after,” he said.
The family has set up a GoFundMe to help Paul Dorey as he grieves and is forced to “start his life over in so many ways.”
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders said Monday the storms killed at least eight people in the state, including three in Benton County, according to the Democrat-Gazette.
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