HARTSHORNE, Okla. — The first man who died in Hartshorne over Halloween weekend was laid to rest Nov. 6, with hundreds still in disbelief over what happened during an annual drag race festival.
Justin Faulkner was downright cherished in Hartshorne, literally leaving his mark on the town and the school up to his tragic death Oct. 31 while volunteering for the H-Town Throwdown drag races.
- Previous coverage >>> Multi-agency procession honors men who died in Hartshorne accidents
"He's the poster child of what you'd want of a small town guy," Hartshorne Public Schools superintendent Jason Lindley told 2 News.
Nicknamed "Fancypants", friends and colleagues said Faulkner was a lot more than a former volunteer firefighter, though even that would've painted a legacy.
WATCH: Tulsa Fire Department plans “After the Fire” event
"He brought life to any event that we were in," the high school assistant boys basketball coach Jim Curliss said. "He always had a smile on his face. I never saw him upset at all."
Faulkner was also the first gentleman of Hartshorne. His wife, Mayor Ashley Faulkner, won reelection in 2023.
"Justin Faulkner was involved in just about everything in this town," head football coach Bill Williams said. "He's a Hartshorne Miner, born and bred, true blue. Full of love (and) laughter, friendship to everybody he knew. He painted this football field. He ran the chains on Friday nights. He was involved in every parade, every street dance, everything (like) the races."
Prepping for the drag races Oct. 31 was Faulkner's final volunteer act. A portable light he set up struck an electrical line, electrocuting him.
Friends told 2 News after Faulkner's funeral service Nov. 6 that he was simply irreplaceable.
"Certainly there's gonna be a hole left in the town and it will never be filled, for sure," Curliss said.
"If you could build a prototypical small-town guy, you'd start with Justin," Lindley said. "He was a volunteer. He gave his time. And you just can't do these without somebody like that in your town."
When asked what was told to his players about Faulkner, Coach Williams said, "The brotherhood of who we are as a community, who he was as a man, (and) what we're supposed to be is what he was."
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- 2 News Oklahoma on your schedule | Download on your TV, watch for free. How to watch on your streaming device
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Watch LIVE 24/7 on YouTube
