(NewsNation Now) — It’s easy to lose sight of what matters in these chaotic times.
It is easy to be so busy or under stress that we don’t fully engage in the conversations we are having or remember what we just read in our last text or email exchange.
However, the life of one man from Arlington, Texas embodies a contradiction to these truths.
His name is Alan Averett.
He was a man who was truly engaged with his community, shared his heart, lived life to the fullest and looked out for those around him.
“Dad loved and he cared about everybody,” his daughter Becky Phillips said during an appearance on “Morning in America”. “He was loved by everyone that knew him, from the young to the old.”
Averett passed away on May 28, 2021, at the age of 94.
Averett was known for his loyalty, compassion, honesty — and above all kindness.
So it is no surprise that when his daughter was cleaning out his house, giving away books that he had collected over his life, Averett chose one to hang onto.
Averett “saw your book, it was a kindness matters book,” family friend Vanessa Bingham said to “Morning in America” host Adrienne Bankert.
“You can have all those books. But I want that one back,” she recalled him saying.
It was Averett’s kindness that his family remembered as they celebrated their first Christmas without him.
After his death, “We found out that dad gives so many donations to anybody and everybody,’ Phillips said of Averett’s dedication to his family and his community.
Averett was also dedicated to his local sports teams. He became a fan of Arlington High School, where his wife and children graduated, attending every football game since 1948. The field house was named in his honor and a mural of him adorned an interior wall.
“Mr. Averett was the best of all of us,” Arlington football coach Peach said. “We have honored him with the Alan Averett Fieldhouse here at Arlington High School named after him.”
Averett served in the U.S. Navy during WWII, had 4 children, 9 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.
“His word was good as gold,” his obituary read.
Watch the full interview with Becky Phillips and Vanessa Bingham in the player at the top of the page.