A woman who “never blamed” her father after he accidentally killed her mother by running her over with a tractor has revealed her heartbreak after he took his own life.
In 2019, Theo Boyd, 51, of Dallas, Texas, received a call that there had been an accident on his parents’ farm and was told to rush to his father, Joe , 78 years old.
When she arrived, she was told her father had accidentally run over her mother, Sue, 74, with an old farm tractor – crushing her to death on the spot – just six months before their 50th wedding anniversary.
Theo said she also lost her “father that day”, but never blamed her for the loss of her mother.
For the next three years, she visited him and called him every day before showing up on Father’s Day in 2022, only to find out that he had committed suicide.
Theo Boyd, 51, from Dallas, Texas, ‘never blamed’ his father, Joe, 78 (right) after he accidentally killed his mother by running her over with a tractor
Theo began to mourn both his parents, but she now feels “honored” and “grateful” to have been the one to find her father “at peace.”
Theo, an author and former English teacher, said: “They explained that my father had accidentally hit her with a farm tractor.
“His foot was on the clutch. He reached out and his left foot slipped.
“He thought he was in neutral, but a lot of old tractors go into gear.
“Mom was right in front of the tractor tire. It just crushed her. Everything was crushed.
“I never blamed him – I knew how much he missed my mum. I saw him at peace.
“I feel honored to have been the first to see without pain.”
Theo received the call on June 29, 2019 and was told to come to the farm to be with his father.
She thought something had happened to her father and she jumped in the car and texted her mother on the way.
Joe had accidentally run over his wife, Sue, 74 (right) with an old farm tractor – crushing her to death instantly.
Theo pictured with her father Joe when she was little on their farm in Texas
The terrible accident happened just six months before their 50th wedding anniversary (pictured on their wedding day)
She said: “I noticed my mother wasn’t responding to me. My mother was deaf – we texted all the time so it was strange.
Theo was informed of the accident when she arrived and broke down.
His parents were checking the tractor’s battery when the incident happened.
Theo said: “My dad was just screaming and upset. They were soul mates.
“It completely killed my father. I also felt like I had lost my father that day.
At the morgue, the undertaker showed Theo where the tractor had run over his mother and they spent 13 hours caring for her.
She said: “It went all over his face, neck and shoulders. Everything was crushed.
“They spent 13 hours working on her – she looked beautiful. So elegant.’
Theo and his sister saw their mother at peace but decided to have a closed coffin for the funeral.
Theo spent the next three years seeing his father every day and saw his mobility decline.
Theo said the day before Joe’s suicide his father was ‘aggravated’ and ‘augmented’ (pictured as a baby with his father)
Theo when she was younger, on her parents’ farm in Dallas, Texas
Theo said writing helped her grieve the loss of her parents and she has now written a book called ‘My Grief Is Not Like Yours’ – which she hopes will help others do facing the loss of loved ones (photo: Joe and Sue’s grave)
She said: “He just couldn’t see his own grief. He swore a lot. It was a miserable life for him.
The day before Joe died, Theo said he was “aggravated” and “enhanced.”
She said: “I never dreamed he would do that. I went to find him that morning.
“I woke up and thought, ‘I have to go see Dad and surprise him.’
“He looked like he had fallen. Then I noticed all the blood.
“I kept going in and out calling for help. I was shocked. I’m so grateful to be the one who found it.
Theo immediately went into funeral planning mode, but found she couldn’t stop crying.
She said: “I didn’t cry for my mother – I couldn’t cry in front of my father. I cried and cried when Dad died.
Theo said writing helped her grieve the loss of her parents and she has now written a book called ‘My Grief Is Not Like Yours’ – which she hopes will help others do facing the loss of loved ones.
She said, “Own the grief. It’s okay to feel sad.
“It’s very important for them to have someone trained in grief counseling to talk to about it.”
Theo remembers his parents thinking about his childhood memories on the farm, like learning to drive a tractor and eating his mother’s home-cooked meals.
She said: “I had a wonderful mum and dad. I hope this book is a friend to people.
