Five Years Later, Three Madison Mothers Reflect On Tragic Accident

From left, Mason Wilbanks, Walker Kelly and Sam Clayton Kelly

Five years ago this Sunday, October 30, Ole Miss and the City of Madison incurred one of the greatest losses ever imaginable when the lives of three Ole Miss freshmen were suddenly taken. Mason Wilbanks, Walker Kelly and Sam Clayton Kelly were lost in an automobile accident returning from their hometown of Madison, Mississippi, to Oxford on I-55. Since that tragic Sunday morning in 2011, the Ole Miss family has come together in an unbelievable outpouring of love and support as prayers and great memories of these young men continue to be extended to the families. This Sunday, especially, we will be remembering these wonderful families and these wonderful students.

HottyToddy.com: Your loss cannot be measured by any earthly comparison. How has the support from the extended community assisted you all during this period?

Kim Kelly: It is difficult for me to even put an answer into words because we have been blessed with such unbelievable support. The city of Madison continues to honor each of our boys with a scholarship given to a senior at Madison Central. These scholarships are funded through community support from our friends and neighbors, as well as family. Also, the KAs at Ole Miss have raised literally thousands of dollars for scholarships given every year in each of the boys’ names to a deserving member of the KA chapter there. Probably some of the most special moments of support come through just a text, a call or an occasional note to let us know they thought of our families and of our boys. It truly means the world to us.

HottyToddy.com: The three boys loved Ole Miss and were returning to campus. How best can the Ole Miss family continue to honor these students and become a support base to assist future families dealing with these terrible tragedies?

From left, Kim Kelly, Christine Kelly and Lynn Wilbanks

Lynn Wilbanks: The Ole Miss family was also there every step of the way. From organizing buses for the Ole Miss students from Madison and KA members to attend the “Celebration of Life” service to sending boxes of red pom poms for the service. Even Chancellor Dan Jones and his sweet wife, Lydia, were there at the service to help us walk this journey. It seemed as if they felt like they had lost one of their children also. It felt as if the tragedy was personal to them also. Ole Miss has always been a huge part of our family – it’s where my husband, Ken, and I met! When we sent Mason to school at Ole Miss, we were entrusting the University to mold him (and Sam Clayton and Walker) and help them become successful citizens. When they left this earth the whole University mourned with us. Again, how comforting to know that our boys were so loved. KA fraternity has kept their legacy alive by always welcoming us to the house. Those boys will never know how much they mean to us. The KA chapter has a silent auction and golf tournament in their memory each spring that is always so much fun. I think as far as Ole Miss assisting other families when dealing with tragedies, the best way the University can do this is to make sure the families know that Ole Miss is there to help and walk with them through the journey.

HottyToddy.com: Reflecting back for just a moment, can you share a great memory from each of the boys that is significant to you and one we can also cherish?

Christine Kelly: One of my favorite Ole Miss memories with Walker was being able to sit with him at the Ole Miss/Arkansas game 2011. I was new to the Grove and Ole Miss in general. He had just pledged KA and had on his jacket and tie for the game. I remember saying to him how happy I was for him and what an amazing experience it was. He said, “I know Mom. I love it here.” This was said with the biggest grin you have ever seen. He had found his home away from home and was living life to the fullest. I was so excited for him.

Lynn Wilbanks: This is so cheesy but it was so Mason. One of the first football games that Mason attended his freshman year, he was so excited. He and the boys called the cute girls “schweebs.” Sometimes those boys had a language all their own. The only reason why I know what that word means is that I asked; otherwise, I would have never known! Anyway, back to the story. Mason was standing on the curb near our tent and there was a large group of girls walking by. I saw him shake his head and I heard him tell Walker and Sam Clayton: “So many shweebs, so little time.” He was dead serious when he said it. I, of course, nearly fell off the curb laughing. He was just a big ol’ goober!

Kim Kelly: I still get tears in my eyes at an Ole Miss football game when I look down and see all of the student section moving side to side before “locking the Vaught”. To see them with their arms interlocked and cheering on the Rebs brings a mixture of emotion. Our boys were only able to do that one or two times, and Sam Clayton absolutely lived for those beautiful fall Saturdays. They even had their own special row for the game! One of Sam Clayton’s last posts was looking out from the student section at the game and how utterly happy he was to be a part of it. It’s my favorite part of the game now for sure!

HottyToddy.com: We have learned that you are assisting others deal with crisis in their lives. Without revealing personal disclosures, could you provide us with some of the ways that you are reaching out?

Kim Kelly: After losing a child, I think a person becomes so sensitive to others who go through the same thing. Even though it puts you back in that dreadful moment in your own life, it always gives the opportunity to remember how others in similar circumstances ministered to us. It truly helps to see someone who is a little further in this journey because it is hard to even think about how to keep going. Lynn, Christine and I have each other to lean on and I am so very thankful for that. Others may not have that support, so we try together to reach out to parents, whether we know them or not. Because God blessed us with such wonderful encouragement and support, we all feel that same responsibility to do the same for others. One of the most beautiful things are the friendships we have made through this.

HottyToddy.com: What have you discovered through this tragedy that would be of great benefit to others dealing with a similar situation now or for those of us who may be confronted in the future?

Christine Kelly: The way I look at it is that after Walker’s death, I was in a very deep dark hole. I couldn’t get out and it was cold and lonely. You pray and depend of God to get you through the next 10-15 minutes at first, then a couple of hours, and then you are able to pray for Him to get you through the day. I realized right away that nobody knows what to do and they just wanted to help. You have to let yourself mourn but God sends the right people your way to shine the light for you to grow stronger. Realize that words are not always needed. Just be there for each other. Be kind to your spouse, kids and family. They are hurting, too. Be mad if needed, it will subside but continue to pray. Deep roots are needed to get through storms.

HottyToddy.com: Through all of your Christian journeys, what can you tell other Christians that will provide us with a better understanding of what awaits us and how Heavenly intervention is impacting our daily lives unbeknownst to us?

Christine Kelly: I know without a question that heaven is awesome. How do I know this? I just do and His word. I love nature and God’s beauty. God sends you messages from your loved ones in so many different ways. You just have to be looking. Mine have come in the form of sand dollars and (blue) butterflies. “God nods” are everywhere, and we just need to be looking.

Lynn Wilbanks: This is a hard question to answer. I know that Heaven is what we as Christians are made for. Heaven is where we will have eternal fellowship with God. Quite frankly, I cannot wait to get there. I know that my Mason will be waiting for me when I cross over. Do I know specifically what that looks like? No, I don’t. But I know in John 14:3 that when Jesus left this earth He said, “I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” It will be beyond anything my earthly mind can comprehend.

Kim Kelly: The best way I know to describe the change in me is that I look at life through a whole different lens now. I see things that I often took for granted or just plain didn’t think about and I appreciate so much more the joy in just being with someone. I try to always tell people I love them because I realize I may not get another chance to tell them. It was not until I became desperate for God that He began to show Himself to me in ways I never saw before. My favorite verse talks about how His mercies are new every morning, and for that, I am so very grateful for that hope in Him.

HottyToddy.com: Most of us will never be able to comprehend what you all have been confronted with these past five years. What has helped you the most in getting through this accident and coping with tomorrow?

Lynn Wilbanks: I have gotten through these past five years with Faith. Faith in knowing God is in control. Faith in knowing somehow God will use this for His glory. Faith in knowing I will be with Mason for eternity one day. Faith in knowing God will carry me through the times when I feel like I cannot go on. Faith in knowing many of God’s greatest blessings come when we are broken, worn and tired, for it is then when we see God working in our lives, giving us fresh perspective! I could go on and on telling you of the many things I can look back on and see how God was preparing us to say goodbye to Mason that we just did not even realize before the accident. I got to hug him the morning he went to Heaven and tell him I loved him before they headed back to Ole Miss; he got to be with his high school friends the night before the accident at a Halloween party and tell them goodbye. Those are true gifts that many people don’t get! The cross in the sky the day of the accident. We have no idea where it came from. Well, we really do know where it came from. It was God saying, “I am in control.” Kim, Christine and I have leaned on each other. What a blessing to have them right there when I need someone to love on and love on me when I miss my sweet Mason. The community of Madison, they have been right there also. They have provided for every need we had. My kids’ high school, Madison Central High School, has loved on and protected Jamison and Peyton when I physically could not be there. Those teachers and administrators have been such a blessing to me. I now fully understand the line in the University’s alma mater, “There Ole Miss is calling, calling, to our hearts fond memories” and that the “We Are Ole Miss” chant is so much more than a simple chant at ballgames. We have been deeply touched and so blessed by the entire Ole Miss community. And KA. Wow! From posthumously initiating Mason, Sam Clayton and Walker to raising monies for scholarships awarded annually in each boys’ memory. And also my family – Ken, Jamison and Peyton – has been there as we have and still are navigating this journey where there is no map to tell us where we need to go. I feel that even though my world was changed in one second and my life turned upside down that Sunday morning of October, 30, 2011, I am blessed. I was blessed to be chosen to be Mason’s Mom for the 19 years He allowed me to be. But Mason was never mine to begin with. He was God’s gift to me.

From left, Christine Kelly, Kim Kelly and Lynn Wilbanks

Steve Vassallo is a HottyToddy.com contributor. Steve writes on Ole Miss athletics, Oxford business, politics and other subjects. He is an Ole Miss grad and former radio announcer for the basketball team. Currently, Steve is a highly successful leader in the real estate business who lives in Oxford with his wife Rosie. You can contact Steve at sovassallo@gmail.com or call him at 985-852-7745.

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