Helping hands grant man’s last request

One Hardeman County man had his final wishes granted with his family by his side thanks to the kindness of one Endeavor Air Crew and local funeral services.  
On December 19 Marcia Short and her three children were traveling from Arizona to attend funeral services in Tennessee.  Short’s late husband, JW “Jay Bird” Short, who passed away after battling heart problems and cancer, had requested to be buried with his relatives at West Memorial Baptist Church in Saulsbury.  
Family members had made all the necessary arrangements with airlines and local funeral director, Jeff Shackelford.  However, in addition to their grief after losing a loved one, they were facing some other personal obstacles on this day.  
After a 90 minute delay leaving Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport they had only ten minutes to navigate the airport in Minneapolis and make the connecting flight that would bring them to Memphis.  
Short’s wife of 32 years made it to the gate with her children just moments after the doors had closed and the flight crew had been cleared to taxi away.  With tears in their eyes they were faced with the painful reality that they might not make it back to Tennessee although they were standing just feet away from their flight.  
Short’s son, Rick was waving through the window toward the pilot, jumping up and down until he caught the attention of the crew who radioed into airport operations and received word back of the family’s predicament.

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