Press "Enter" to skip to content

A gravestone for Dillard

Dillard Tolbert’s grave lay unmarked for 53 years until last month, when a marker was placed with donations raised by a former schoolmate.

Dillard, a second-grade classmate of my brother Kevin, was struck and killed by a truck as he walked home from school on May 2, 1968. His passing was difficult for the boys and girls in his class at a Catholic grade school in our Kansas hometown. The children had celebrated their First Communion in April.

The Rev. Bill McEvoy (just “Billy” in those days and a lifelong family friend) was a first-grader at the school when Dillard was killed. Like my brother and the other kids, Billy, now Father Bill, found the death a hard lesson learned too early.

Earlier this year, Father Bill visited the cemetery and stopped at Dillard’s grave. When he saw the boy didn’t have a gravestone, he set up a fund and raised enough from donations to purchase and place a marker.

So, on a bright September morning, Father Bill, Kevin and other classmates gathered with Dillard’s family to remember their friend.


Recorded in the year Dillard died

We'll come to you!

Sign up to receive an email when each new 30-Second Read is published.

This field is required.

Check spam folder for confirmation email.

2 Comments

  1. Darlene Olivo Darlene Olivo

    Thank you, Liz, for this eloquent post and video. Such a beautiful rendition of that lament.

    • Liz Gauger Liz Gauger

      Thanks Darlene!

Comments are closed.