While working in his garden
on May 23, Billy Streater’s life was taken by a hit-and-run driver who fled the
scene after striking the 79-year-old man with an SUV.
Family,
friends and those who knew him were shocked to hear of his death. But since his
passing, an outpouring of love and support for Streater has proved his
long-lasting legacy.
Cynthia
Russell, a long-time friend of Streater and a fellow board member at Churches
Touching Lives For Christ, said there has been a flood of memorial donations
sent to the organization to commemorate Streater’s life.
CTLC
assists residents in the Temple area who are in dire need of basic necessities
like food, clothing and money for utilities.
“Shortly
after (his death) the memorials started coming in,” she said. “Then all of a
sudden, on the Wednesday after it happened, the treasurer gave me approximately
60 memorials he’d taken out of the mail box.”
And
the donations in Streater’s name haven’t stopped coming.
“There
were more than 100 of them that came in,” Ms. Russell said. “And they are still
coming in today. They were anywhere from $10 to $500.”
Streater’s
wife and family were shocked to hear that so many had donated money to the
organization in “Billy’s” name.
“She
said, ‘it just amazes me that all of these memorials have come in,’” Ms.
Russell said about her conversation with Charlene, Streater’s wife. “It has
been a confirmation for them how great their dad and husband really was.”
Ms.
Russell said even though the family was surprised to see such support for their
loved one, she is not.
“It’s
just Billy. He was concerned about everybody and everything,” she said. “If we
needed socks at CTLC, he’d tell his Sunday school class, and they would come
through for him.”
Streater
even combed the parking lot next to the CTLC building picking up trash and
checking to make sure no one’s registration stickers were out of date.
“He
was just nice enough to tell you these things,” Ms. Russell said. “I don’t even
look at the stickers. I don’t care. But he did.”
Despite
the tremendous shock of losing such a valued member of the CTLC team, Russell
said she knows Streater is in Heaven looking down on his family and friends.
“He’s
up there laughing and saying, ‘look, I got you your socks and all the other
things that you needed, and now there’s been over $7,000 come in. I did my most
important work after I died.’”
Because
of his love for helping people, all of the money donated to the organization
will go to those who need it most.
“It
will go to buy food for the needy in East Bell County and pay some of the utility
bills that we help pay for some of the clients,” Ms. Russell said.
Others
who have worked with Streater say that he is deserving of all of the attention
he has received since his death.
“I’m
on the board of CTLC and I’m just grateful for Billy’s life and his continuing
ministry that his memory and legacy provide,” said Tom Henderson, Director of
Missions for the Bell Baptist Association.
Not
only did he make an impact on those he worked with, but he was an inspiration
to family members as well.
“He
was a humble man,” said Linda Adams, Streater’s cousin by marriage. “He will be
greatly missed in our family. I know James and I are so glad that we were able
to share some time with him.”
Ms.
Russell said Streater was just a simple country boy at heart, but he made a
great difference in the lives of those he met, even in the smallest ways.
“He
had a nice garden and every year he’d plant too many tomato plants, and he’d
always want to give me a bunch of his tomato plants,” she said. “He was always
good about sharing what he had, and he was just a lovely person.”