The Christmas lights were still twinkling across Wichita Falls on Wednesday evening when a quiet tragedy unfolded on Southwest Parkway. Brad Boddy, a man who spent decades pouring his heart into the local school system, was simply trying to cross the street. He never made it to the other side. At 69 years old, a life defined by patience and service ended on a day usually reserved for family and celebration.
The call came into dispatch around 6:18 p.m. Police say Mr. Boddy was walking across the 6700 block of Southwest Parkway, moving from east to west. A driver heading north in the left lane didn’t see him in time to react. It was a split-second moment that changed everything. While the investigation is still active, the immediate aftermath was a scramble of sirens and flashing lights as first responders rushed to help a man who had helped so many others.
He was taken to United Regional Health Care System, where teams of doctors fought to stabilize him. Despite their best efforts, Mr. Boddy passed away from his injuries. The news traveled quickly through the city, turning the holiday spirit into a heavy cloud of grief for those who knew him. For the people of Wichita Falls, this wasn’t just a news report about a pedestrian accident; it was the loss of a pillar in the community.
At Memorial High School, Mr. Boddy was much more than just a name on a classroom door. As a dedicated special education teacher, he worked with students who faced some of the toughest challenges. It takes a special kind of person to do that work—someone with an endless supply of kindness and a refusal to give up on anyone. His colleagues remember him as a mentor who truly listened, someone who could find a way to connect when others couldn’t.
The Wichita Falls Independent School District released a statement that mirrored the heartbreak felt in the hallways of Memorial High. They described him as a devoted educator whose impact would be felt for years to come. It’s hard to measure the legacy of a teacher, but you can see it in the generations of students who walked into his classroom feeling overlooked and walked out feeling seen.
In the days since the accident, the community has begun to focus less on the tragedy of that Wednesday night and more on the sixty-nine years that preceded it. Friends and former students have shared stories of his gentle spirit and the quiet way he went about making the world a little better. He was a man who didn’t look for the spotlight, yet his absence has left a massive hole in the fabric of the city.
As the investigation continues, Wichita Falls is left to grapple with a Christmas they will never forget for all the wrong reasons. But even in the sadness, there is a sense of gratitude. Brad Boddy spent his life teaching people how to be better, how to care more, and how to stay patient. That is the lesson his community will carry forward, long after the sirens have faded and the holiday season has passed.
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