Just down the road from a tragic accident in Salina, family members gathered reminiscing about a man they loved, Thaddeus Florczyk.

Police were called to the area of Buckley Road around 12:35 p.m. Wednesday. Shawn Cleary, 28, was northbound on Buckley Road when he went off the highway on the east side and struck 73-year-old Florczyk, who was on the mower.

Family members say 'Ted' or 'Teddy' was giving, and was definitely the rock of the family.

"We lost a wonderful man, the patriarch of our family,” said Dorren Benedict, Ted’s niece. “It's very hard. It's going to be really difficult. We always come down this road and see him sitting in his chair; we'll call him up and beep the horn."

Florczyk owned his own lawn mowing company called Tedd Landscaping.