MONCKS CORNER, S.C.—The family of a Moncks Corner man killed while crossing the street say they don’t blame the driver—and they want him or her to know that. Paul Escritt, 67, was struck and killed while crossing South Live Oak Drive on Friday. His family carries no animosity toward the driver.
“You are in our hearts. Please know we feel no anger or bad feelings toward you of any kind, and pray that you are ok,” stated Ashley Felkel, Escritt’s granddaughter, to the driver. “What happened was a nightmare for both sides, but purely an accident, and you should feel no guilt at all.”
Escritt was pronounced dead on the scene by the Berkeley County Coroner’s Office. Coroner Bill Salisbury ruled the elderly man’s death as accidental.
“We hope that you [the driver] will feel peace and know that you are thought of and wished well by all who loved him, as we couldn’t imagine what you’ve gone through in this nightmare,” Felkel stated. “He would’ve wanted us to find you and hug you and tell you thank you for sending him home to be with his family in heaven.”
While Escritt’s family is saddened by their loss, they say they take comfort knowing that such a good man is now in a better place.
“Our father/grandfather had been in pain and battling addiction for many years, and he is at peace now and healthy and happy, probably fishing up there somewhere,” stated Felkel. “The world lost am incredible man, but an incredible man finally got to go home to heaven and finally is pain free and happy, and that’s all we can ask for.”
Escritt was a military veteran, having retired from the United States Air Force in 1989 as a Master Sergeant after 20 years of service. After leaving the military, he became a mechanic for Standard Warehouse of Highway 52. For him, family was #1.
“He was our everything. He was the type of man who built a 20 foot rope swing from an old oak tree, and cut a tire into the shape of a chair so his grandbabies could sit in it comfortably, and then he’d be the one who they all called him to push them because he pushed the highest,” explained Felkel.
According to Felkel, her grandfather also had a sweet tooth—and he loved to share in “the sweetness.”
“He kept Jolly Ranchers and Werther’s Original candy in his pockets to hand out to all the kids, waitresses, and gas station clerks or store cashiers that he came across. I remember being embarrassed that they’d think he was poisoning them, until some of them got use to him and came looking for a certain flavor, and he smiled so big when they did,” recalled Felkel.
There was nothing Escritt wouldn’t do for any of his four daughters, or any of his nine grandkids, according to his family.
“He loved us all with everything he had to his last day,” stated Felkel. “Whether it was bailing us out of tickets or debt, cheering us on at a game, kicking us out of a game when he umpired, walking us down the aisle, or singing the Statler Brothers and Pam Tillis at the top of his lungs while riding in his truck, he was a part of every memory.”
And for his family, learning to forgive as well as cherish the priceless moments they spent with their grandfather/father is all part of the healing process—and necessary to move forward.
