Stacy Redmond loved baseball, his family and his colleagues at the Tucker grocery store where he worked.
The father of two would have turned 60 in May, and relatives from across the country were already planning a big birthday bash at his daughter’s home outside Chicago. But those plans were derailed last week when Redmond was one of two people killed in a massive house fire in northwest Atlanta.
On Wednesday, employees at the Kroger where Redmond worked held a tearful vigil in the store’s parking lot. They shared fond memories of their colleague and mourned the loss of a man who meant so much to them.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
Employees from each department wrote notes on helium-filled balloons, and some of his closest colleagues released white doves in his honor. Even customers who got to know Redmond over the past two years showed up to pay their respects.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Store manager Tiffany Mongo described him as an exemplary employee, and several others remembered his trademark fist-bumps that would lift their spirts on even the toughest of days.
“He was amazing. He was always so positive,” Mongo said. “Just the ideal worker that anybody would want.”
Redmond suffered a stroke in 2004 that restricted his movement and affected his speech, but he never let his disability hold him back, his younger brother, Courtney Redmond, said.
He drove his red pickup truck to work each day, took cross-country trips and made friends just about everywhere he went. Growing up the oldest of four children outside St. Louis, Stacy was always a protective big brother, his family said.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
He was passionate about sports, especially baseball, and grew up playing as a catcher or in the outfield. Redmond once even tried out for his beloved Cardinals in the 1980s, his brother said.
The store’s deli manager wiped away tears as she remembered how Redmond always found a way to chat her up on the days they worked together.
“It’s the little things I’ll miss most,” Myshirdie Welch said. “He was so happy at all times, no matter what he was going through. And if he saw you feel bad, he’d always smile or give you hugs. I love Stacy. He’s gonna be missed, but he’ll be in our hearts forever.”
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Kroger shopper Wayne Carey said he always looked forward to seeing Redmond when he came in for groceries.
“Every time I’d see him he would come over and try to see how I was doing,” Carey said. “He was always looking around for somebody to bless, always uplifting people, always encouraging them.”
Redmond was killed Dec. 13 when a two-story home on State Street went up in flames just before 2:30 a.m., officials said. One person suffered a minor ankle injury after jumping from a window to escape the blaze, but they told crews there were several others trapped inside.
Firefighters said there were six people inside the home, which is located a few blocks from Georgia Tech’s campus. Three of those people managed to get themselves out and another was taken to the hospital, officials said. It took about 50 firefighters to bring the massive blaze under control. Officials have identified a second man who died in the fire but are withholding his name until they can locate his relatives.
Credit: John Spink
Credit: John Spink
Courtney Redmond said his older brother was the first person to notice the flames that morning and that he died warning others and trying to get his neighbors to safety.
A fire department spokeswoman said the cause of the blaze remains undetermined and that investigators are working with Atlanta police to figure out what happened.
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