T.R. Miller graduate killed in vehicle crash remembered for his personality and love
The smile Garrett Ryan Salter brought to the faces of everyone he ever met quickly turned into tears last Wednesday morning when the news that the 2017 graduate of T.R. Miller High School had been killed in a single-vehicle accident.
Salter, 20, a Castleberry resident, was on his way to work at T.R. Miller Mill Co., at 4:50 a.m. when he apparently lost control of his 2003 GMC Sierra and overturned. According to reports released by the highway patrol division of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the crash occurred on U.S. Highway 31 at the 76 mile marker, two miles north of Brewton. The report also noted Salter was not wearing a seatbelt and was pronounced dead at the scene.
“His smile was infectious,” said Carol Reed, a friend of the family.
She said her family and the Salter family live about three miles from each other and her children grew up with Garrett.
“I have three teenage boys and Garrett was like a brother to them,” Reed said. “He was a hugger. When he came into the house the first thing he did was give me a hug.”
She said he always gave her a hug when he left and that last hug came the afternoon before the accident when Salter left her house.
“He was a loving, kind-hearted soul,” Reed said. “He was like my child. When he walked in the back door he'd yell 'hey mama'. He was very kind and everybody loved being around him because he was always so happy.”
She said his big heart drove him to rescue animals that included a puppy he brought to her house and a kitten he brought two days before the accident.
“When he gave you a hug, you knew it was a heart-felt hug,” Reed said. “It's just very, very sad.”
David Jennings has spent the past 28 years coaching youth baseball in Brewton and coached for and against Garrett and Garrett's brother Trey.
“He was on Stokes' (Jennings' son) first baseball team when they were 5 or 6 playing T-ball,” Jennings said. “I coached him in Little League and coached against him in Babe Ruth.”
He said when draft day came for the youth baseball teams Garrett was one of the players you always wanted on your team.
“If he went to another team, you knew you'd have to deal with him,” Jennings said. “If he was on the other team you had to pitch around him. No disrespect to the person hitting behind him, but you didn't want to throw Garrett anything down the middle of the plate.”
Jennings said despite his baseball ability, what made Garrett stand out was his attitude and the way he genuinely cared about everybody.
“He was a great teammate,” Jennings said. “He never caused any problems. I don't think you could find anybody to say anything unpleasant about Garrett.”
Jennings said if one of Garrett's teammates was struggling, he was always there to pick their spirits up.
Jennings said the news of Salter's death brought back a lot of memories, some good, some not so good, noting Garrett is the fifth person he's coached who has died.
“It hurts,” Jennings said. “It really hurts.”
T.R. Miller head baseball coach Kevin Madden said Garrett was at T.R. Miller when he came back to coach baseball and football.
“He was a great kid and well liked by all of his teammates,” Madden said. “He always had a smile on his face and he's the type of kid you want in your program. People like Garrett is the reason we do our job.”
Madden said Salter always had something positive to say and was always in a good mood.
“He always made you feel good after talking with him,” Madden said. “It's just such a shock. They're supposed to coming to my funeral, not the other way around.”
Salter was born in Pensacola and was a life-long resident of Castleberry. He was attending Reid State Technical College studying to be an industrial electrician while working at T.R. Miller Mill Co.
Salter's funeral was held Saturday, July 20, at Appleton Assembly of God with Bro. Russ McDonald and Bro. Terry Rowell officiating. Burial was held at Cedar Creek Cemetery.
He is survived by his parents Ricky and Tracey Salter of Castleberry; maternal grandparents Larry and Loma Covin of Castleberry; maternal great grandmother Angie Monk of Castleberry; paternal grandmother Carolyn Salter of Castleberry; and two brothers, Brent (Ashley) Salter of Brewton and Trey (Malary) Salter of Castleberry.
Salter was also engaged to be married to Kaitlyn Parker in Brewton.
In lieu of flowers, the family requested donations be made in Garrett's memory for juvenile diabetes research at JDRF, 212 Eleventh Ave., South Suite 520, Birmingham, Ala., 35205 or at http://www.jdrf.org/alabama.
