Update on July 6, 2016: Kenny Neely “waved goodbye” to the world on Friday at the age of 60.
Neely was known for waving to people who passed by while sitting in his chair on the side of Wallace Road in West Knoxville.
Family will receive friends Wednesday from 5-7 p.m. A funeral service will follow in the chapel at Berry Highland Memorial Funeral Home at 7 p.m.
A service at Berry Highland Memorial Cemetery is scheduled at 10 a.m. Thursday.
Original Story on June 22, 2016: It's one of the simplest acts of kindness we can show, and yet it has a bigger impact than many of us realize.
As he's done for several years, Kenny Neely sits in his chair on the side of Wallace Road in West Knoxville and waves at everyone who goes by.
"I don't need to go home that way, but I drive by this road just to see Kenny wave," said Jimmy from WIVK'S "Andy, Allison and Jimmy in the Morning."
Kenny, who served in the U.S. Army, loves to put a smile on the faces of those who drive by.
"They may drive by and have some bad stuff, but I wave at him, and that bad stuff goes away, and they get happy," says Kenny.
Now, many of those people are trying to put a smile on Kenny's face.
He has terminal cancer and has been given four months to live.
His only wish is to be buried next to his parents, but he has very little money to do so.
If you would like to help, visit his GoFundMe page here.