Memorial service honors Earnhardt

As Rev. Dan Cloud of the Free Methodist Church read aloud from a poem, "The Man in Black," there was not a dry eye among those gathered for the Dale Earnhardt Memorial Service Wednesday at the Deremiah-Frye Mortuary Greene & Harrell Chapel, 700 Gourley Pike. Author Robert Ellsworth Stalcup stood quietly in the back. \nChildren and grown-ups stood hugging one another -- crying unashamedly -- and coming together in their time of grief. \nMost wore Earnhardt's No. 3 racing jackets. A father and son attended the service sporting Dale Earnhardt and Earnhardt Jr. jackets and crying in each other's arms.\nRodney Harris, 27, is a racing driver himself. He said he received a phone call from Daytona 15-20 minutes after the accident telling him the legend had died. He cried for three days, he said. \n"My dad and Dale were my two heroes. I felt like someone had ripped my heart out," Harris said. \nKelly Cissell, mortuary director, said the idea behind holding the memorial service was to help people come together and share their grief. \n"There are so many people out there, crying alone. We wanted them to have someone to share their pain with," Cissell said. \nDuring the service, the mortuary provided mourners with stationary and cards printed for the service to write down messages. Cissell said these would be forwarded to Earnhardt's family. Children drew posters that were pasted on the walls. \nTwelve-year-old Evan Vibbert said he was still in shock. Vibbert, who owns more than 200 racing car models, said he never missed any of Earnhardt's races until this one. \n"And I am glad I missed it. I didn't want to see my hero die," Vibbert said.\nEleven-year-old Gregory Garrison watched the race live and said he couldn't believe it. "I kept telling myself it wasn't so bad. He would be OK," said Garrison, who painted a poster showing the seven-time Winston Cup winner toeing the finish line in his No. 3 car with Earnhardt Jr. close behind in his No. 8.\nOne poster said, "Dale Earnhardt: The best driver ever on the road." Another said, "I love you No. 3. You were The Man."\nCissell, who not only watches but also tapes all the races, said Nascar drivers and fans are like a family. "We all feel like we lost a member of our family," he said. \nBloomington residents Gerald and Connie Freeman said the death had devastated them. "I watched him for years and never knew what a great loss his death would be to me," Gerald Freeman said. "He kind of grows on you," Connie Freeman said.\nKurt Van der Dussen, a Bloomington Herald-Times sports reporter, spoke of his experiences as a sports writer and the times he came across Earnhardt. He read a piece Dale Earnhardt Jr. had written in his diary about his father, describing him as a man who took on every challenge and reveled in finding solutions. \n"A man who could lead the finest army in the world," he read. Dussen said the fans that had gathered were part of Earnhardt's army.\nSheila Steven, a host on Big Red Country 105 radio station, modified and read a poem that a listener sent to the radio station and sang "Go Rest High on the Mountain," also modified in Earnhardt's memory.