MACON, Ga. — Johnson County is mourning the loss of a beloved coach and his 2-year-old daughter who died in a car accident. Johnson County coach Shawn Linder and Bella Ann Linder died in the accident that happened around 6:40 a.m., according to Georgia State Patrol.
A press release says Linder lost control of his car on Ben Hall Lake Drive and it traveled into oncoming traffic. His car hit a Ford F350 work truck. Laurens County Coroner Richard Stanley pronounced Linder and his daughter dead on scene.
"It was very tragic for us to hear about him because we call him 'the root of the family,'" said Linder's niece, April Armstrong.
Armstrong says her uncle was the glue that held the family together.
"He was always there for us. I mean, we only had one person to call on. We call Uncle Shawn for everything," said Armstrong.
Coach Linder was an alumni of Johnson County Middle/High School and worked there for about 17 years.
Johnson County Schools superintendent Eddie Morris says pastors and counselors met as a resource for students and faculty when they heard the news.
"This is a devastating loss to our community. We will miss him very much," said Morris.
School board Chairman Kevin Brantley says Linder gave students the tough love they needed.
"He loved those kids and he was gonna stand by them no matter what, but he was also going to be strong with them," said Brantley.
A coach on the field, a deacon in the church, and the backbone of his family, Armstrong says Linder touched many lives in the county.
"He was just a spiritual person. He had God in him," said Armstrong.
Linder was 42 years old. Georgia State Patrol says truck driver Justin Hobbs, was not injured in the accident.
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