Kingston, Tenn. — Friends and family of one Roane County man are still in disbelief after he was killed by a lightning strike Friday afternoon.
Everett Massengill of Kingston was mowing his lawn on Friday when he was struck by lightning. The Roane County Sheriff's Office pronounced him dead on the scene.
Massengill is described as a man who knew everyone. He served on the Roane County School Board for decades, and worked for AT&T even longer than that.
"He was well connected and was a real help to his community, his family, county and school board," Rob Jago, chair of the Roane County School Board, said.
Jago said he met Massengill for the first time about ten years ago.
"He introduced himself to me and knew my phone number, so that kind of scared me a little bit," Jago said with a smile. "But him being an AT&T man for 40+ years, he said he knew everyone's phone number."
Jago remembers the impact Massengill made on the Roane County School Board.
"He'd done such a good job the people kind of pushed him into running every four years," Jago said .
When Jago got the call Friday night that his long time friend was killed by a lightning strike, it was hard to hear.
"Disbelief, just, you know he's such a great guy and that just...just made you sad," he said.
Massengill's friends and family said they're still trying to process what happened. They're working on funeral arrangements; in the meantime, their home has been filled with neighbors giving their condolences in honor of a man they'll never forget.
"A caring man, a a great person, a friend, and someone that's always willing to help," Jago said.