As this long day begins for the family of Johnny Lee Cutliff as they began to make the final decisions for the visitation with family and friends tonight and the funeral tomorrow of Johnny Lee Cutliff, we have learned that his teenage grandson, Johntriel Cutliff, has insisted on being a pallbearer.

In a life struck by tragedy with first his father lost to a senseless gun shooting in 1993 to now the lost of his grandfather Johnny Lee Cutliff, in a tragic vehicle accident last week; the teenage boy, Johntriel Cutliff has insisted on carrying his grandfather to his final resting place.

I have had the privilege of talking to this young man’s mother, who is saying no one can talk to her son about the incident, he is quiet and withdrawn as would be expected but he is also firm in carrying the casket of his grandfather tomorrow.

It is going to take a very long time for Johntriel Cutliff to come to terms with the horrible accident that occurred on October 29, 2009 that took the life of Johnny Lee Cutliff and John M. O’Quinn. It was impossible for the family to turn on the television last Thursday without being inundated with video of the horribly wrecked SUV that John O’Quinn was driving. Ms. Polk describes the family as “just hanging on” all of them still in shock. I was shown a program for the funeral tomorrow and read the heartfelt poem written by Johnny Lee Cutliff’s brother, Phillip Cutliff and a message to Mr. Cutliff written by his sister, Landas, [Yolanda] Cutliff Jacob. We have asked for and hope to obtain a program for tomorrow’s service which is full of pictures of Mr. Cutliff with his family as well as the picture with this article. The O’Quinn Law firm family is expected to attend this second funeral in less than a week. The funeral home told us they expect between 800 – 1,000 mourners for tomorrow’s service.

Rayna Polk, Johntriel’s mother, talked to us often breaking into tears about the closeness of her teenage son to his grandfather. Ms. Polk describes her son as an “average teenager” and with pride said her son had never been in trouble. Ms. Polk spoke about Johnny Lee Cutliff always encouraging his grandson to be anything he wanted to be saying that the world was opened to him. Mr. Cutliff is described as the rock of his family, an amazing brother and grandfather. Ms. Polk said Mr. Cutliff encouraged his grandson to be active in sports, to go to college and only recently had Johntriel decided on basketball. Ms. Polk went on to say that one of the last conversation she had with her father-in-law, was about Johntriel’s future including that both of them were hoping to get an athletic scholarship for Mr. Cutliff’s grandson. Ms. Polk is fearlessly protective of her son’s right to privacy and to have time to grieve and accept the grandfather who throughout his life also served as Johntriel’s father figured is now gone forever. Ms. Polk said that Johntriel in previous years had been invited to go out to eat with his grandfather and Mr. O’Quinn and was taken to see Mr. O’Quinn’s car collection. She spoke with fondness about the closeness of Mr. O’Quinn and her father-in-law, Mr. Cutliff and confirmed to us they were friends, not just employer – employee.

Ms. Polk’s primary concern right now is the future of her son and that he remains well taken care of as his grandfather had done since his birth. Ms. Polk sadly finds herself as navigating alone now to help her son come to grip with this tragic loss of his grandfather. She worries about the lack of money to do the things for her son that had previously been done by Mr. Cutliff. The only panic I heard in her voice during our interview was her fears of being able to do for Johntriel what every teenager needs, stability and the finances to continue to encourage his love for sports.

I told Ms. Polk that we were going to print out all three articles about her father-in-law’s death and the comments that had been made here in Texas, throughout the nation and to our international readers. Ms. Polk thanked me and as I told her we would get these articles and comments to her via her attorney, Mr. Nolley or the funeral home. Ms. Polk said that would be something that she would put up for her son to read when he is ready.

Our continued prayers go out to young Johntriel, his mother and all of the family and friends of Johnny Lee Cutliff as they attempt to make sense out of something that appears so senseless.

We are pledged to keep up with young Johntriel via his mother and/or his attorney, Mr. Nolley, as they come to terms over the next several months as to what happened and what will now happen to Johntriel Cutliff.

What an amazing young man to insist on being the lead pallbearer to carry his grandfather to his final place of rest, Paradise North Cemetery. Johntriel will grieve later, but not today or tomorrow as he remains the young man that his grandfather was so proud of, this time standing for his grandfather in a row that now has been sadly reversed this weekend.

The irony of Johnny Lee Cutliff’s birthday yesterday, November 5, 2009 he would have been 57 years old, that was not lost on any of us. This year there was no celebration just long hours of agonizing tears.

©Rose Turner
November 6, 2009
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