Fleet Of Trucks Honors Driver

FedEx pays tribute to crash victim

By: STEVEN BARRIE

RIALTO - The couriers at this city's Federal Express shipping station battled between grief and celebration Saturday morning.

That's the kind of day it would be for them. They were about to bury one of their own. "It's going to be a very emotional journey out to Carson today," said Colene Garcia, operations manager at the Rialto station.

At 9:30 a.m., 20 FedEx trucks pulled out of the station's parking lot. They formed the core of a procession that would wind its way along five Southern California freeways to the Central Baptist Church in Carson.

There the funeral would be held for Troy Lynn Brown, 32, a FedEx driver who died June 15 when his delivery truck was rear ended by a Mustang driven by Richard Harrison, 58, of San Bernardino, the California Highway Patrol said.

A parade of Federal Express trucks makes its way west Saturday on Interstate 10 from Rialto to Carson for the funeral of FedEx driver Troy Lynn Brown. Brown died in a traffic accident on June 15. Photo By: Rodrigo Pena

Harrison's estimated speed at the time of the accident was 100 mph, the CHP said.

Brown died at the scene of the accident. Harrison was treated at a hospital. He may face criminal charges in connection with the accident, the CHP said.

Fellow courier Larry Marino said he spent Friday night putting pictures of Brown he had taken at various company functions on a compact disk for Brown's family.

Maintaining a smile but fighting back tears, Marino, 45, recalled his friend and said of the procession, "This caravan is a show of support for Troy."

"Today's a real day to show our love," Marino said.

Rudy Gonzales, 27, of Yucaipa, talked about the man he met five years ago when he first came to work at the Rialto station.

"I first trained him on one of my routes," Gonzales said. "He is probably one of the most happy men I've ever met."

Many of his friends were amazed at the outpouring of love and support they have received since Brown's death.

Garcia said that in addition to the many calls of condolence they have received from Brown's Crestline area customers, they have also turned that mountain community's FedEx pick-up box into a shrine in Brown's memory.

"It's unbelievable how so many people loved him," Gonzales said. "He touched so many lives."

Looking back at the death of his friend and ahead to the day's caravan that would honor him, Marino said, "Troy won't be with us any more, but today he will be with us in every one of those trucks."

In addition to his work at FedEx, Brown was also a personal fitness trainer.

"He got six or seven guys, changed their diet, got them into shape," Marino said.

Brown changed bodies and he changed attitudes, Gonzales said.

"He taught me how to not take things so serious. He taught me to joke around."

Station operations manager Garcia remembered him as the guy everyone looked for when they first got to work in the morning.

"He's the one you wanted to talk to."

As the trucks prepared to pull away from the station, Gonzales wanted to say one more thing about Brown.

"I'm really proud he was my friend," he said.

Brown was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cypress.

Local Section, The San Bernardino County Sun, Sunday, June 25, 2000