ATLANTA — A longtime Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport employee received a special funeral procession this weekend. Thomas McBride dedicated more than 50 years of his life to working for Delta Airlines.
The procession drove through the north terminal. His longtime coworkers lined up outside to give him a well-deserved final farewell. The emotional tribute was caught on cell phone cameras.
11Alive’s Neima Abdulahi sat down with his family and they shared what that gesture meant to them. In the 11Alive #ATLCulture segment, his granddaughter described how Thomas McBride would feel seeing the tribute.
“I think he would be so happy and proud, because that’s what type of man he was. Everybody in Hartsfield knew him,” granddaughter Jazzy McBee said.
Jazzy McBee, a hip-hop radio personality for Streetz 94.5, first shared about the funeral procession on her Instagram account. She didn't expect it to lead to an interview.
McBride’s son, Willie McBride said his dad spent a great part of his life working for the airport.
“My dad worked for Delta Airlines since 1966,” Willie said. “He was my world. He was my everything. He touched many lives.”
Willie said he couldn’t control his emotions during the procession. “It was heart touching. It just broke me down,” he described.
McBride’s other son Douglas remembers how proud his father was to be a Delta employee. “When he first got the job, I was three-and-a-half years of age. I retired and he was still working. That was love for the job,” Douglas said.
Jazzy said she’ll always miss her grandfather, but she’s honored to carry on his legacy.
“I know for a fact I’m always going to be looking for my grandfather when I hit the airport,” Jazzy McBee says.
We reached out to Delta Airlines where he worked. A company representative sent us this statement: “Our hearts are with Thomas’ family and friends. He served Delta customers proudly for years and we are honored that the Delta family had an opportunity to show their respects during the airport processional."
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