Eatonton farmer killed in explosive accident
Many people in the community are mourning the loss of a long-time businessman and friend. Seventy-four-year-old Roy Embry, of Embry Farm Services, was killed in an accidental explosion around 7 a.m. Wednesday, April 13.
“Mr. Roy was one of the finest, caring and thoughtful men we have ever known,” Mac Rainey, of Rossee Oil Co., posted on the company’s social media account that day. “A true character, a legend of his own, a one of a kind. The passing of Mr. Roy will forevermore change this community. He will truly be missed.”
Sharing her favorite memory, Libby Rainey told The Eatonton Messenger reporter that she and Mac and Mr. Roy have laughed many times over the years about a mutual joke 17 years ago. When the Rainey’s twin sons were born, Embry called to congratulate them.
“In typical Roy fashion, he teased Mac by saying he expected one of the boys to be named after him due to all the money he had spent on fuel at Rossee,” she explained.
The new parents responded by sending a photo of the newborns all snuggled in their hospital cribs. The small placards typically taped to the front of the cribs had been replaced with cards that read “Roy 1” and “Roy 2.”
“It is still tucked away inside their baby book, and we have all laughed about it so many times over the years,” Libby Rainey said. “It’s a sad day for this community. He was truly a man with a servant’s heart.”
The explosion happened inside of an enclosed metal shipping container located on part of the Farm Service’s property on State Route 44 at New Phoenix Road in Putnam County. The force of the explosion severely damaged the shipping container and also caused some damage to Embry’s Ford F-150 pickup truck parked beside it.
Because the container was a few feet from a fertilizer barn, Sheriff Howard Sills said he initially assumed the fire that caused the explosion was the result of bearings that had overheated on the fertilizer blender machine. It wasn’t until his detectives arrived on the scene that the sheriff learned a liquor still was located inside the 80-square-foot shipping container and that Embry was also inside the container.
“The building was a distillery, and investigators believe an explosion occurred due to a propane gas leak,” Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King said in a press release.
Sills said the distillery was a modern, more elaborate type, and his office’s investigation with the State Department of Revenue revealed no license on record to operate the still.
One public official who wished to speak anonymously said he had no problem at all with his friend making homemade liquor. The man said he was just discouraged because the tragic accident could have been prevented if more safety precautions had been followed.
Other friends and family are focusing on the good memories. Social media was flooded with comments from people saying Embry enjoyed life to the fullest, always extended a helping hand when needed, and will be greatly missed.