One year ago Tuesday, 11 tornadoes touched down in Virginia — with 10 of them hitting Central Virginia.
One of those twisters killed a man who was working at Old Dominion Floor in Chesterfield County. For employees who work at the facility, Tuesday was a day of reflection, but also one of new beginnings as the warehouse is now back up and running.
Employees spent part of Tuesday remembering their fallen co-worker, Ronnie Bishop, with an honorary memorial.
“The only thing I remember about that day is I want to forget it,” John Jones said of September 17, 2018. “It was a bad day and we’ve worked really hard to try to come back and never quit.”
The EF-2 tornado that ripped through Old Dominion’s warehouse on Speeks Drive destroyed the building, and claimed Bishop’s life in the process.
One year later, Jones is turning his grief into action, re-purposing Bishop’s work truck into a memorial bench.
“I never want to forget him,” Jones said. “This is just my way of putting it here, so every day we see him.”
With the help of neighboring Stoker Construction, Old Dominion Floor now has a brand new 16,000-square-foot warehouse. The new facility not only doubles in storage, but it’s also up to code to withstand a strong storm.
As business stays strong, so does Bishop’s work family at Old Dominion Floor.
“He had thousands of friends, I can’t say enough for him,” Jones added. “It’s emotional talking about Ronnie; he was a good friend of mine.”
by Gretchen Ross (2019, Sept 17) WRIC
