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Sheriff Chris Davis said Spears checked his barn animals.
Country legend Loretta Lynn is heartbroken after the death of longtime ranch foreman Wayne Spears amid devastating flooding in Middle Tennessee.
The Loretta Lynn ranch in Hurricane Mills, in flood-ravaged Humphreys County, shared in a Facebook post on Sunday that Spears died after being swept away by flash floods.
“With the heaviest of hearts, we are saddened to report that our beloved foreman Wayne Spears did not survive being swept away by the flood waters,” the Facebook post said. “Wayne has been a friend of the Lynns’ family and a staple of the Ranch for decades and we are all devastated by his passing.”
At least 22 people, including Spears, were killed. Dozens more are missing.
“The Ranch will never be the same without him,” the post continued, with pictures of Spears. “But he will always be remembered for his smile, his kind heart and his willingness to go the extra mile for everyone around him.”
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Lynn mourned Spears on his official Facebook page, posting a smiling photo of the late foreman.
“There are no words at the ranch today… only tears. Our ranch family is our family. We lost my amazing ranch foreman, Wayne in this devastating flood,” Lynn wrote. “He is one of us and the whole Lynn family is heartbroken. Please pray for his precious family and friends.”
A photo taken by someone at the ranch showed Spears in a cowboy hat hanging from a pillar in brown, pumping the water up to his chest.
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said Spears was “in his barn and the next thing you know he goes from checking animals in the barn to hanging in the barn to people who see him floating in. the stream. And that’s how fast it had gone up. “
His friend Michael Pate, who met Spears at the ranch 15 years ago, remembered him as “just one of those guys (who) does anything for everyone.”
Search and recovery efforts remain underway in the Town of Waverly and the County of Humphreys, according to the Humphreys County Emergency Management Agency.
“Ultimately, we will rebuild our community, our ranch, our lives and our homes. But only God could build a man like Wayne Spears,” the Lorretta Lynn Ranch social media post read. “There is simply no replacement for this.”
Musician Tayla Lynn, a granddaughter of Loretta Lynn, posted a photo of Spears on Facebook, calling him “The Best Cowboy.”
In a Facebook post on Saturday night, Lynn’s ranch shared scenes of the “horrific” carnage caused by the rain, calling for prayers for those missing, including Spears at the time.
“The worst flood we have ever seen,” the post said. “Please continue to keep the missing ones in your thoughts. “
Contributors: Brinley Hineman, Cassandra Stephenson, Yue Stella Yu, Natalie Allison and Andy Humbles, The Tennessean; Jonathan Mattise, Jeffrey Collins, Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Loretta Lynn Ranch Foreman Wayne Spears Killed in Tennessee Flood
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