Ronny Massey affected the lives of his players and those who never played for him.
By JIMMY WIGFIELD
As Ronny Massey lay dying from cancer in the summer of 2010, those who had benefitted from his humanity and compassion came to his sickbed.
That included a special-needs student who was in Massey’s algebra class and a former student who had grown into a doctor.
“It was more than just algebra and football for Ronny,” said his wife, Helen “Ace” Massey.
Massey spent his final weeks in hospice care at his Huntsville home and his wife had begun restricting visits only to family. But one day, she got a call from the mother of the special-needs boy who had learned of Massey’s illness and wanted to come see him.
“His mother said if this boy didn’t get to come see Ronny before he died, it could be a devastating thing,” Ace said. “So, I told them to come on. This boy came into Ronny’s algebra class and Ronny didn’t know he had Tourette Syndrome. He’d beat his pencil on his desk, then stop, then a few minutes later would start up again. Ronny told him to come up and sit next to him. He loved being in that algebra class. Ronny took a letter to his parents and told them what a pleasure it was to teach him. His mother told me they had never had a teacher say those things.”
Massey’s bed had been rolled out to the den so the boy could present a letter he had written to the coach. Massey couldn’t respond but his brother, Larry, read the letter aloud.
“Coach Massey, I love you,” the letter said. “At night, I dream of angels and I hope God will let me see you as an angel when you get to heaven.”
Massey also received a gratifying visit from the hospice doctor who thanked the coach who had once allayed his fears that he would be bullied by Grissom football players in his freshman physical education class.
“Him and his friends were afraid of being bullied by the football players ’cause he didn’t play,” Ace said. “They didn’t say anything to Ronny; they just knew that Ronny wouldn’t let that go on. Ronny never heard this until the doctor came to our house and told him that he was going to do everything to help Ronny ’cause Ronny took care of him in that P.E. class. Ronny didn’t remember this guy at all until he came to our house.”
