Wife wants husband remembered for life he led
Posted on Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Funny, compassionate, supergenerous, loving husband and father — those are a few of the words that Twyla Francis, 32, used to describe her murdered husband.
Daniel Francis was shot and killed on May 7, 2006, while he was a passenger in a car traveling north on U. S. Highway 71 Business in Lowell. His killers — Serafin Sandoval-Vega and Manuel Camacho — recently pleaded guilty to capital murder and were sentenced to life in prison.
Twyla wants Daniel to be remembered for the life he led instead of for the crime that took his life.
“ He could make the room come alive, ” she said of her husband, whom some friends compared to Jim Carrey because of the different faces Daniel could make.
Daniel, a jokester, also had a serious side and believed in looking out for the underdog, Twyla said.
He was always there to offer encouragement or religious scripture to lift the spirits of friends or coworkers.
“ Whenever we would go out to eat, Daniel would usually pay for an older couple’s meal, ” Twyla said. “ It made him happy to anonymously help people. ”
Twyla and Daniel met at a church youth-group meeting when Twyla was 16 and Daniel was 18.
Daniel went to the same church as Twyla’s sister, and he was always telling her to tell Twyla “ hello” from him.
Twyla began meeting Daniel at softball games, where he was a scorekeeper. They became instant friends.
“ I thought he was the best-looking guy ever, ” Twyla said.
The two visited once or twice for weeks before Daniel told her that they were meant to be together.
Daniel took the traditional approach and got down on one knee when he proposed to her on Valentine’s Day in 1993. The couple were married in December 1993.
They made their first home in Fayetteville but lived in Little Flock at the time of Daniel’s murder.
They have four children, Meriel, 12; Benjamin, 9; Harrison, 8; and Kara, 4.
Twyla vividly remembers the night before Daniel’s death. He had arrived home from work before Twyla came home from a play date with the children.
Daniel was attempting to fix a car but wasn’t being successful. Twyla said the younger Daniel would have been angry at being unable to fix the car, but Daniel patiently talked with her, and the children attempted to help by handing him tools.
Daniel stopped working on the car and begin playing outside with the kids. He loved playing hide-and-seek with them. She watched from a kitchen window while washing dishes and wondered why she wasn’t outside enjoying the fun with her family.
“ I thought it was a perfect evening that I needed to remember, ” Twyla said.
After coming inside, Daniel wrestled with the children. “ He got them hyper right before bed, ” Twlya said, laughing.
The next day, Daniel was shot while he was a passenger in a car with a J. B. Hunt coworker, Tracy Stith.
Twyla said she first believed Daniel might be paralyzed, before she learned that the injuries were fatal.
Friends brought her children to the hospital, where Daniel was on life support.
“ I told them Daddy got hurt, ” she said. “ He’s never going to wake up. ”
She remembers how her older son attempted to comfort one of his sisters.
A few days later, she shared more of the details with the children about what happened to their father. Her youngest son, Harrison, whom she described as the listener, had learned about the shooting.
She told the children that their father had been shot and that the bad people were caught.
“ I told them God missed Daddy too much and let him go to heaven, and anytime they wanted to talk to their Daddy to tell God, and he’ll give him a message, ” Twyla said.
They have sent messages to their father through God, Twlya said.
Twyla is grateful for the abundance of support and well-wishes she has received from the community.
Sam Hannon, the pastor of Fellowship Bible Church of Northwest Arkansas, sent her a letter about how a stranger helped him after he had car trouble at a convenience store. The stranger said he was a mechanic and checked Hannon’s battery, then took him to Wal-Mart to get a new battery. The man then took Hannon back and put the new battery in his vehicle. Hannon recognized the stranger as Daniel Francis after seeing his photograph in the newspaper.
Daniel’s co-workers at J. B. Hunt have also cared for the family.
His co-workers got wish lists for the children at Christmastime and provided gifts.
A week before Christmas, a J. B. Hunt semi-trailer came to the family’s residence with a co-worker dressed as Santa, and others as elves.
Her youngest son said, “ They smelled like Daddy” because of the diesel fuel, Twyla said.
Co-workers also made a DVD on which they shared their memories of Daniel.
One of the most difficult aspects of Twyla’s husband’s murder is that anyone could have been targeted by his killers that day.
She agreed with the plea agreement because she felt it was the best for her and her children. Daniel’s killer’s cannot appeal their convictions and will spend the rest of their lives in prison.
Twyla’s main focus has been on her children, and she believes that she will enjoy living again.
“ I haven’t thought much about the future, ” she said. “ I take one day at a time. ”
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
