LOUISVILLE, Ky. — On Dec. 14, Louisville Metro Police reported a truck driver went left onto the Greenbelt Highway from Logistics Drive and collided with an oncoming car, killing the driver of that vehicle.
The man behind the wheel was Donald Gregory, the father of his only-son Shawn Ray.
"I don't think it's real," Ray told WHAS11. "I feel like one day he is going to walk through that door and...I don't think it is ever going to happen."
Gregory was not only a father but a son, a die-hard UK fan, and was best known as a "horror maniac." He ran this Facebook page by the same name with more than 800,000 followers, highlighting horror movies and festivals.
"A lot of people knew him and talked to him on there daily that I didn't even know about," Ray said.
When he shared the news with his father's followers - condolences came in the hundreds.
Including from Danny Hayes, the famous music promoter behind Louder Than Life and other concerts across the country.
"Donnie and I got to know each other through Louder Than Life and some Facebook collaborations that we did on our respective pages Horror Maniacs and Danny Hayes Hayes’d & Confused," he said in a statement to WHAS11. "I had great respect for his ability to build an online community. I will miss him and want to help his family during this difficult time.”
That's why Hayes is matching donations to Gregory's Gofundme. The family hopes it will pay for Gregory's funeral and help his parents, who lost a son, and a caretaker.
"He did everything for them," Ray said. "Ran to get them food, groceries, anything they needed."
That job is now up to Shawn and his fiancée. They've been staying with their grandparents and watching over the stray animals their father couldn't help but take in.
Heading into Christmas, Ray is holding on to these pieces of his father. He wanted to share a message for other families this holiday season.
"Hold onto your loved ones, don't keep a grudge with anybody, because you never know when's the last time you're going to see them," he said.
► Contact reporter Tom Lally at TLally@whas11.com or on Facebook or Twitter.
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