COLUMBIA, Ill. – Final goodbyes are Tuesday and tonight for a beloved Metro East man who was tragically killed last week while doing his job as a tow truck driver.
The company that Bivins worked for, ‘Paw Paw Towing,’ is having a procession for him as part of the memorial. It’s understood that the trucks will be staging for the procession from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., with the procession starting at 6:30 p.m.
57-year-old Wade Bivins from east Carondelet, Illinois, was a man known for his generosity and volunteer work. In addition to being a tow truck driver, Bivins was a volunteer firefighter, served on the East Carondelet Emergency Services Disaster Agency, and even played Santa Claus at Christmas celebrations.
Our Bommarito Automotive Group SkyFOX was over the scene last Wednesday morning when Bivins was killed. He had responded to a disabled van call on the right shoulder of Interstate 255 southbound near Route 3 in the Columbia/Dupo area.
Authorities said Bivins was loading the vehicle onto his tow truck. According to investigators who spoke to FOX 2, a driver traveling south on 255 struck Bivins as he was walking around his tow truck. Bivins was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver who hit him stopped and remained at the scene.
Black bunting was put up at one of the Prairie Du Pont firehouses in East Carondelet. That was the department where Bivins volunteered as a firefighter.
Visitation for Bivins is from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Lessman Funeral Home in Dupo, with a time of remembrance beginning at 6:30 p.m. After the memorial service is done, we’re told a procession of tow truck operators and emergency vehicles will proceed from the funeral home to the East Carondelet Community Center.
Bivins leaves behind his wife, three daughters, three grandchildren, and many other family and friends.
