West Tennessee helps celebrate Lucy Gale Sanders life, my daughter September 11, has a very deep impact on most of our lives. Especially mine since I am a pilot for a major airline. However, in 2011 that day changed forever as my daughter Lucy Gale Sanders, 16, was tragically killed in a car accident. After the initial shock wore off and just being able to control the unbelievable pain and grief, I strived to start finding ways to celebrate Lucy’s life. Then it hit me as she always wanted to skydive. We had plans on her 18th birthday to do just that. I had to make sure Lucy would be able to keep her date in the sky. This is when Mike Mullins and West Tennessee skydiving came into play. I had jumped out of Mike’s famed King air before and had only seen Mike, pilot the plane. I had never talked with him before but I knew he was a major airline pilot as well and thought he could help me out. I have to attest he is a huge asset to USPA and all of its members. Mike helped me at one of my lowest points in my life without ever meeting me. I sent Mike an email about two weeks after Lucy’s death and asked if he could accommodate me for a memorial ash dive for Lucy and to let my 14 year old son, Patrick, to make his first skydive. Mike immediately responded to my email and within two days had drawn up a waiver request to the USPA allowing a special circumstance to allow Patrick to jump. All of this from a man I had never met, going out of his way to help of fellow USPA member. About three weeks later, as I was getting of the employee bus at George Bush Intercontinental airport for my first trip back from the accident, my phone rings. The phone was in my pocket and I couldn’t answer it because I was holding all my stuff carrying it off the bus. As I set up the brain bag, computer bag and luggage and started hauling it into the airport, I pulled the phone out of my pocket and there was the voicemail that for the first time in a long, long time started to help with the pain and would celebrate Lucy’s life that will keep her alive in my heart forever. The timing was rather ironic as I was already filled with emotions going back to work for the first time and the voicemail helped calm my nerves. On the voicemail, it was Mike telling me that the waiver request from the USPA had been approved and we were good to go. I called Mike back, he told me that time was our biggest factor due to it being the middle of October and the weather was not going to be great if we waited too long. He told me about the DZ’s Halloween boogie, which happened to be the 20th anniversary. This meant I had two weeks to get my plans together and pray for good weather that weekend. (Lucy took care of that) I had planned on doing a tandem jump because I was not current and felt that it would be easier, but Mike would have none of that. He told me to get back in the air, get current and make the jump myself. If it wasn’t for Mike’s prodding and encouragement I would have never done it. After hanging up and looking around at all the people in the airport milling about, I stood with amazement as I was going to give my daughter a gift, another date with my little girl that would bring together many people and provide some much needed relief to my family. Soon thereafter, I called my buddy Marcelo and told him what was up. After the initial shock wore off Marcelo went all out to get me going. He offered to meet with me when I returned from my 4 day trip and he would get my rig up to date. Coincidentally, he also started making diving urns for just this occasion. Unbelievable, he was gracious and humbled to help and in the process found a new reason to celebrate life when his was going through some tough times. The next week I picked up my current rig and the most precious urn ever assembled. Marcelo pulled out all the stops in constructing the beautiful blue box, Lucy’s favorite color, with bright yellow letters stitched on the front spelling out L U C Y on the front. It was amazing and as the tears filled my eyes, I knew that this urn would carry my daughter to the heavens and bring me still closer to my little angel. Now, all I needed was for the weather to cooperate and get to West Tennessee skydiving. It was Monday, October 23rd, and I was looking at the forecast, questionable for Friday but great promise on Saturday and Sunday. The plan was for me to fly out on Friday, meet up with my mom and sister who were flying in from Philadelphia. My wife, Jackie, her sister, AJ (Lucy’s Godmother), and Patrick would drive up and meet me later that night. My dad and his wife were driving in from Washington, D.C. and would meet us on Saturday. I would do my currency jumps on Friday and Patrick would make his jump on Saturday along with the star of the show, Lucy, making her first jump as well. All of this came about so fast it was amazing that the puzzle was coming together in such amazing detail. As we drove to the DZ the weather was not great. Cloud cover as far as the eye could see, but it appeared to be improving. After two hours at the DZ watching Mike pilot his new helicopter, taking jumpers for hop and pops, I was wondering if this was going to work. Then the clouds faded away and the sky broke out in the most beautiful blue you could ever imagine. I made two jumps that day and felt very good about Saturday. Later that night, leaving the drop zone, I had seen another jumper preparing to leave, the same jumper I had seen earlier in the day checking into the beautiful Super 8 we were staying. I stopped the car and went over to this stranger and asked him if he would like to join my family for dinner. He obliged, his name is , Mike Sloan and it just shows how wonderful this sport is and how close we all are, even if were strangers. Had a great dinner, finding out Mike was a army veteran, a helicopter pilot and a relatively new jumper and a new friend. We had custom shirts made for this special occasion. I told Jackie, not to put the date on it because we couldn’t guarantee the weather and what if the mission got scrubbed. So when we picked up the rush order, there under the artwork, on the left side of the shirt it read on top, Lucy’s skydiving day and on the bottom, October 29, 2011. Jackie assured me that Lucy would not spoil her big day and sure enough she was correct. Saturday was magnificent; there was nothing but blue, blue, BLUE forever. Lucy’s favorite color was in grand splendor and warmly surrounded my family and helped warm the chill of the air. We made our way to the DZ where I met up with my dad and his wife. We promptly went in and got some weird looks from all the people there. The shirts were a bright green and we all had them on, we looked like a family of aliens bunched together. Met up with Mike and he just took over. Patrick was briefed, trained and suited up for his first skydive. Patrick’s tandem instructor, Mike’s son, Joel Mullins # D - 26743, was great. After all, this was my 14 year old, who had showed a little nervousness the week before as this plan was coming to fruition, but on this day, and Patrick showed all the confidence in the world. He was his own little star, dedicating the jump to Lucy on his video. Some of the whuffo’s looking at this kid I could hear saying that if this little kid can do it I can do it. Patrick was harnessed up and ready to go to the plane. Once we knew what load we would be on, my family went into a briefing room and prepared Lucy’s urn with a huge layer of glitter, she loved glitter and there was no shortage of it. Then we carefully placed Lucy’s ashes in and filled the rest with more glitter. The urn was heavy and I was nervous that I would screw up the exit and that would be that, nothing it all lost. Step in Charlie Mullins # D-18491, Mike’s other son, and he would jump out with me to make sure I stayed stable. We were joined by videographer, JB Bartholomew, # D – 30498 and off to the plane we went. Patrick and Joel got on first with some other tandems and soon Charlie, JB and me made our way onto the plane and strapped in. Of course, anyone that has even been on Mullin’s Super King Air knows you better be ready to jump before takeoff because you are at altitude faster than you ever have before. About 7 minutes is all it takes and the door was opening? The time had come to fulfill one of my daughter’s wishes, Lucy’s ashes would be set free to roam the Earth she so loved. The exit went very smooth as Charlie helped stabilized me at 8000 feet I pulled open the urn and this massive explosion took place. I was told it was very visible from the ground and the cloud lasted about a minute. I noticed Lucy as well; after I opened I looked up and saw my daughter was floating away. Had to catch my breath, regain my composure and turned towards the DZ and executed one of the softest landings I ever had right next to my family. Turned around and watched Patrick come in, mission accomplished. I am so grateful to the kindness and compassion of Mike Mullins. Providing his time, family and resources is a testament to what a great human being he is and how much he helped my family. Mike also provided Lucy’s Godmother, Jackie’s sister, AJ, to do a tandem. His son’s, Joel and Charlie, were great and will help lead WTS well into the future. Even Mike’s youngest son, Matthew befriended Patrick and now Patrick hopes to return to WTS when he is older and start skydiving by “himself. “ All of this was accomplished at the DZ while they were running a huge boogie and never missed a beat. The Manifest Babe’s Kelly Mullins and Amanda Bartholomew were awesome all day and made us feel so welcome. They even gave me a certificate for Lucy’s first skydive. Jennifer Helffrich, # C – 35919 helped with the registration and supplied us with boogie t-shirts. Written by Steve Sanders, # D - 22385 You can view Lucy's and Patrick's jump at youtube.com. Search - Lucy Gale Sanders Skydive.
