Kevin Llewallyn
As a sportswriter, I have the privilege of writing about and covering many fascinating athletes, coaches, and teams. I have always been drawn to the gripping stories that are born out of sports, and getting to tell those narratives has been one of the greatest experiences of my life.
But, in my 39 years, there has been no more inspirational story than that of one man whose life has been woven around my own, my dad’s.
My dad, Jon Llewallyn, is not famous, nor has he ever done anything that society or mainstream media would deem extraordinary.
On the contrary, what he has done is to be the most consistent, hardest working, most dedicated and compassionate human being I’ve ever encountered.
And today, Friday, February 28, 2020, at 4:00 p.m., he walked out of the front doors of a Kroger in Athens, Georgia for the final time as an employee after 44 years of service. Over that span he has taught me a great deal about what it means to do the right thing, the right way, whether you want to or not.
Every. Single. Day.
Every day he has gone in with an attitude that he has a job to do, and he has done it to the best of his ability, without ever complaining publicly about having to be there, how hard the work is, or about being passed over for opportunities that he surely deserved.
For the past year since he announced his retirement, I had plans to be there to celebrate this day with him. However, things with my own family have come up that I need to be here for, and if I’ve learned anything from him it is how to love and be there for my family. So instead, I want to tell his story.
My dad started at Kroger as a bagger in 1976 at 18 years old, a company where his father had worked in management and from which he also retired years later. Over the next two decades, my father worked his way from bagging groceries to a department head, and after 21 years decided to pursue management.
For the past 24 years, he has served as a manager for various stores in Athens, as well as Jefferson and the metro Atlanta area. He has also worked in a couple of positions for the zone that required him to travel to stores throughout Georgia and South Carolina.
The same year that he began his career, he married my mom, Wanda. Four years later, his favorite son was born, and my sister, Kelley, followed in 1985.
His dedication to his career has always been apparent, but it was never the priority. While my mom has often joked that she felt like he lived at the store, family and God have always come first. Always.
He has been a faithful follower of Jesus since long before I was born, serving as a deacon, youth pastor, and worship leader for a number of years throughout his life. His mom and dad were a part of the Llewallyn family singers, and my dad’s love of Southern Gospel music is a close second behind his love for his family.
But more than the factual things about his life are the characteristics he displays, and there is one that shows up every day above all. He loves.
He loves his family, but he also loves people from all walks of life, regardless of their gender, race, sexual orientation, political stance, or socioeconomic background. He might not always agree with others, and he holds tight to his belief in the words of the Bible, but the way he loves and treats everyone has never wavered. I learned that from him.
I could write stories for days about all the things he’s done that fill my heart, like how he would work on the chain gang for high school football games many years ago when I played because, as he told me later in life, it allowed him to be closer to me on the field. But those stories aren’t what I want those reading this to walk away with.
For 44 years, my dad has gotten up and gone to work. Sure, his job was to manage a grocery store, but the work that he’s gotten up to do has been so much greater than that. His real job was just to be a role model to everyone around him. While there might be nothing special to some about what he’s done, I think that in itself is what makes it special.
It is ironic, and fitting, that this Monday my dad will begin a new career less than a week after finishing his first. He will begin working at a funeral home, helping with funerals and visitations. He isn’t doing this because he and my mom need the money, but because his heart is to help grieving families during one of the darkest times of their lives. For anyone who knows my father, they know that he won’t just be a shoulder to cry on, but someone to cry with.
I’m sure everyone knows someone whose story is similar to my dad’s. In an era where we idolize athletes, celebrities, politicians, and even “influencers” on social media, the true heroes of our country are the ones who just get up and go to work. They’re the ones that deserve all of the recognition that we give to those more “famous” – whose lives and opinions should hold more weight – and it is high-time that the media begin to bring to the forefront more people like my father.
When my dad walked out of the store for the final time today, there weren’t any farewell videos on a jumbotron, no crazy parties to celebrate, or throngs of people to give him a standing ovation as he got in his car to drive off.
But there was a guy about 150 miles away whose life has forever been molded by the way he has carried himself day in and day out.
I hope to have a long career telling stories of exceptional athletes, but today I celebrate the most important person I’ll ever know, who is also my hero.
My dad.
(Email Kevin Llewallyn at kevin.llewallyn@gmail.com)