Lincoln, AL, family mourns after power lineman Austin Chappell electrocuted while on the job

Jeff Chappell is arriving home this morning to Lincoln, Alabama. It’s been a long drive from Detroit, Michigan. A long drive to soak in memories as he parks his son’s white Dodge Ram 1500 pick-up truck in the driveway. The pickup truck that was going to be driven home by his son.“He was the best hugger in the world,” his mother, Cynthia Chappell, said. “And every time after he hugged me, he would lick my cheek, just to get a rise out of me. It used to drive me crazy, but it made Austin giggle. I always loved to see Austin giggle.”“He may have been nie years older than me, but my brother was my best friend,” Austin’s sister Laynie said. “He had this sparkle about him. He was a cowboy, but a teddy bear all at the same time. My mom is right — his hugs were the best.”Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WVTM 13 Sara Chappell was so excited about the upcoming Fourth of July holiday weekend.“We were going to enjoy fireworks,” Austin Chappell’s wife told me. “We were going to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We were going to share our favorite saying: ‘I love you through every storm and every hitch’— we had the saying tattooed on our arms."Chappell was a momma’s boy; he was also a man’s man. Chappell loved to hunt and fish. He loved the Crimson Tide, he rode bulls, and for over a decade, he loved his work. Getting the call in the middle of the night in the middle of the storm was what he did. Putting his life in danger so others could live in comfort was part of the job.“It’s interesting that when your children are young, they are your kids," said Austin’s father Jeff, “but when they get older, they become your best friends. Austin was my best friend,” said Jeff, his voice cracking. “He was also a true public servant.”Follow us on social: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubePower linemen are a rare breed, and Chappell was a rare breed from the start.“Austin didn’t care what kind of storm he was driving into,” said Chappell's wife Sara. “Back in 2018, during Hurricane Michael, he was told by a relative that he could stay at her home in Florida. Michael insisted that he sleep in his truck so that he could rise early and help get the power back on.”“I believe that linemen like my son should be considered to be first responders,” Jeff said. “He would get a call in the middle of the night and rush out the door to places like Detroit. He would leave his wife and his 10-year-old daughter Vanessa to help people. I was so proud of the man and the husband he was.”It was last Saturday when the news broke from Detroit. Chappell, the best husband, the best son, the best brother, had come in contact with a live power line. The Chappells were a week away from a holiday weekend and a wedding anniversary celebration. Wednesday, the family arrived home from Detroit.WVTM 13 On The Go: Download our app for free“I loved him with all my soul,” said Sara, an oncology nurse. “Austin loved his job — he never said ‘no’ when he was asked to respond to a call. Austin was willing to drive into the storm and serve the public. I loved him through every storm and every hitch.”Jeff Chappell parked his son’s white Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck in his Lincoln, Alabama, yard Wednesday morning. Jeff had spent a lot of hours thinking about his son and his best friend while driving his son’s truck back to Alabama.“It was Austin who was supposed to be driving that truck home,” Austin’s wife Sara said. “We were so excited to welcome him home.”Austin's parents, Jeff and Cynthia, his wife, Sara and his sisters, Laynie and Whitney, are making funeral arrangements. They want to honor Austin by telling the world about a life well lived. They want to tell the world about a man’s man and a momma’s boy.“I sure do wish that Austin was here to give me a hug and lick my cheek,” Cynthia said.There was a long pause on the phone.“I wouldn’t mind that a bit," she whispered.