Houston County family killed in crash remembered

Alexander Harris , acharris@theleafchronicle.com Published 9:43 p.m. ET Oct. 15, 2015 | Updated 2:30 p.m. ET Oct. 20, 2015

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                                                                                                        (Photo: The Leonard Family / Facebook)

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CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — The young family of three killed Monday in a two-vehicle accident on State Highway 13 in Houston County will be celebrated by their loved ones this weekend in Waverly, Tenn.

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William Griggs, 20, Kassidy Leonard, 19, and their 11-day-old daughter Kimberlynn died when a truck driven by Benjamin Franklin, 37 of New Johnsonville, crossed over the road into the oncoming lanes and struck Grigg's 1996 Saturn head-on.

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The family was on the way to Joelton to see Grigg's grandfather, said Joey Leonard, Kassidy's father.

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Kassidy and Griggs had just left the Leonard residence after dropping off her 3-year-old son Bradlee with her parents, Leonard added.

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Young couple, newborn identified in deadly Highway 13 crash

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"They were both young, It just seemed like they were right at that moment where they were starting to get their lives together – everything was falling into place," Leonard said.

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According to the obituary, Kassidy graduated with the Waverly Central High Class of 2014, and was a member of the WCHS Tiger Marching Band's color guard. She also was a member of the Friendship World Outreach Church.

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"Kassidy was the type of person that – you just had to smile and laugh when you were around her, that was her goal in life – to make people happy," Leonard said.

He said both his daughter and Griggs had also been hard workers.

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Griggs, who went to North West High School in Clarksville, worked at the Arby's in Hurricane Mills and the Sonic in Waverly, and had just been hired at the McDonald's Kassidy worked at in Waverly, Leonard said.

 

He added Kassidy was likely about to start training as manager at her McDonald's once she returned from maternity leave.

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And while he hadn't known Griggs for much more than a year, Leonard added that he knew Griggs loved his daughter, and that Kimberlynn "was the world to him."

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"I just know that he loved my daughter with everything he had, and he loved Kimberlynn. He was just a really hard worker. He was a good guy," Leonard said.

No obituary was available for Griggs.

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The celebration of life for William Griggs, Kassidy Leonard and Kimberlynn will be 2 p.m. Saturday, October 17, at Friendship World Outreach Church, located at 1510 Clydeton Rd., Waverly, Tenn.

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Driver in fatal Highway 13 wreck involved in previous fatality

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Reach government and education reporter Alexander Harris at 931-245-0742, or on Twitter at @ACHarris_Leaf.