Very, very late on December 5, 2011, I was awakened by the phone ringing. I stumbled around, fumbled for the phone, and answered... I must have been halfway asleep, because I remember Coach Basil saying, "Heather wake up! You have to listen to me. This is bad- I have some bad news for Scott."
He went on to tell me that our friend, Amanda Price had been shot and killed. Her husband, Ron (the NAHS football coach with whom Scott had coached for 3 years) had also been shot and was in the Tupelo ER. I woke Scott up and gave him the news. We quickly got dressed and went to Tupelo.
Ron was going to be ok, but he hadn't been told about Amanda. After a while, the football coaches went in to talk to him. Even in the midst of incredible tragedy, he handled it as a believer. The next few weeks were full of sadness and questions.
After a lengthy investigation, the killer was caught. Amanda just happened to be walking the dog at the wrong time. The criminal was about to break into the house, and Amanda startled him.
Amanda Price was one of THE kindest, sweetest, servants that I have had the privilege to know. She was a supportive, loving wife. She made me feel included within the coaches' wives, and she was always quick to offer encouragement and kind words to others. I did not get to spend much time with her, but I will miss her. We all will.
I was not the only one who was impacted by Amanda's life and example. Most of New Albany, MS knew her and came to show their sympathy to the Price and Cossey families.
One group of New Albany runners decided to express their sympathies by organizing a 5K race to benefit Survivor, Inc, a local group who offers support and counseling to families of victims of violent crime. The race was held March 10, 2012, and it turned out to be one of the largest 5K's in MS in it's first year! Over $20,000 was given to Survivor, Inc!
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