Another lineman has lost his life doing the dangerous work that most of us never see… but all of us depend on. And today, a Texas wife and two little boys are facing the unimaginable.
Another lineman has lost his life doing the dangerous work that most of us never see… but all of us depend on.
And today, a Texas wife and two little boys are facing the unimaginable.
Ryne Cooper was killed August 11th while working as a lineman.
He was a husband.
A dad.
A provider.
And according to the people who loved him, his family was his entire world.
Kelsie, his sister-in-law in Texas City, TX, shared Ryne’s story with a broken heart.
“There are no words that can truly express the heartbreak of losing my brother in law, Ryne, so suddenly.”
Ryne leaves behind his wife, Macy Rae, and their two boys, Reed and Rory.
Kelsie describes him as a loving husband, an incredible father and “one of my very favorite people on this planet.”
He loved being outdoors.
He loved making memories with his family and close friends.
And he worked hard at a dangerous job to take care of the people he loved most.
The National Sisterhood United for Journeymen Linemen is also mourning Ryne, who they identified as IBEW 66 Brother Ryne Cooper, known as “Niko.”
They’re now asking the lineman community to surround Macy and their children as they suddenly face life without him.
And Ryne’s story hits especially hard because this isn’t the first time a lineman family has reached out after a day at work changed everything.
We have prayed together for other linemen who were critically injured on the job, and we have wrapped our arms around families who lost the person they expected to walk back through the door after work.
Hunter’s skin graft surgeries.
Denny’s amputation.
Caiden never made it home.
Over the last several months, families from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and now Georgia have reached out to me after devastating accidents involving the men who climb poles, restore power, and do one of the most dangerous jobs in America.
Some survived life-changing injuries.
Some didn’t make it home.
Now another family is grieving.
Every one of those stories has been a reminder of just how much these men and women risk while doing work most of us probably take for granted.
This time, that knock came for Macy.
And two boys have lost their dad.
We’ve been asked to wrap our arms around this family with loving words.
Please pray for Macy.
Pray for Reed and Rory as they try to understand a world without their dad in it.
Pray for Kelsie and everyone who loved Ryne.
And please say a prayer for every lineman who straps on that gear, leaves their family and goes to work knowing the job carries risks most of us will never have to face.
Rest easy, Ryne.
