LONDON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A man who was paralyzed in the May 16 tornado that killed 17 people in London has died from complications related to his injuries.
David Krell, who had intellectual disabilities, developed double pneumonia as a result of the injuries he suffered in the storm and was unable to recover. His family tells LEX 18 he died December 2.
Krell's niece Heather McClarrie remembers her uncle as a dog lover and family man.
"We were always together, and he was always making us laugh. He always had a story to tell, and that's what I want him to be remembered for. I want him to be remembered for what he gave to the world, not just the pain and suffering that he went through. I don't want that," McClarrie said.
Krell miraculously survived when the tornado hit the mobile home where he was living with his sister. In the aftermath of the storm, his sister Shawn Cupp told LEX 18 about their harrowing experience.
"Every morning is a new challenge, to wake up and to realize this is real and not a nightmare," Cupp said just days after the storm.
"When the tornado hit, they lost their home. They lost everything, and they moved in with me, and I made them a little apartment in my basement. And so these last 6 months, it's just been us. It's been us, and I'm so grateful that we had those last 6 months because we got so close over those last 6 months," McClarrie said.
McClarrie says her uncle left them one final message before his death.
"And he grabbed a napkin and with the last little bit of energy he had left, he wrote that goodbye, and I thank God for that note because that is what we're going to remember him with and the last little thing that he wrote, he used the last little bit of energy to let us know he was OK and to say goodbye to us, and that lets you know right there that he loved us and we loved him so much," McClarrie said.
McClarrie says the community's support has gotten them through a tragic year.
"It meant everything. It meant everything to us. We weren't alone through any of it. There were so many organizations, so many people, prayer groups out there that would just grab us and hold us and pray with us. And that meant more than anything," McClarrie said.
Now, they're asking for help one more time, because the cost of cremation is more than their family can manage right now. That's why McClarrie started an online fundraiser to bring Krell's remains home.
"David's birthday is the 26th of December. Christmas is coming. We just want him home for the holidays," McClarrie said.
It's a final act to honor her beloved uncle, who McClarrie says will never be forgotten.
"I hope that he knows how loved he was. And still is. I'll never stop loving him," McClarrie said.
A link to his obituary can be found here.
