Gail was killed in 1972, but her friends do something special to keep her memory alive

Gail Jordan has been gone 45 years, but she is far from forgotten. Her family and friends have a way of refusing to let that happen.

Jordan died instantly in a crash on May 19, 1972. She was riding home from the Cowtown Rodeo in a Chevrolet pickup with her friend Lissa Sharp and Lissa’s brother, Kim Sharp, when the wreck took place.

A vehicle lost control in the 6200 block of Interstate 35W and swerved into the pickup, according to Star-Telegram archives. The pickup glanced off a railing and skidded before wrapping around a bridge abutment.

Lissa (now Lissa Watson) was burned and endured months of recovery.

The Christmas after the wreck, she and another former classmate, Debbie Harbour Jackson, decided to visit Gail’s mother.

“I didn't get to say goodbye or anything so we just started coming to visit because we felt like they were our family too,” Watson said.

Jackson originally had plans to be with other friends that night, but changed her mind at the last minute.

They never stopped visiting.

The two Crowley High School friends have families of their own and no longer live in Fort Worth — Watson lives in Hillsboro and Jackson in Stephenville — but both said they would never think of skipping it.

“We plan it,” Jackson said. “We know we're doing it. There’s no questions asked. We just love coming here every year.”

On Dec. 16, they were there to see Gail’s 89-year-old mom, Florence Jordan, at her south Fort Worth home.

“It's been a blessing,” Florence Jordan said. “They're just my girls.”

They also talk on the phone about what’s going on in their lives.

“I've been to their weddings and to see their new babies and their grandchildren,” Florence Jordan said. “They’re just part of my family. I always know they’re coming.”

During the visit, there were stories about the friendly, outgoing Gail, who was always in a good mood.

“She was a live wire,” Florence Jordan said.

‘I just deal with it’

The ensuing years haven’t been easy for Watson. Not only was she left with scars from the crash but she also dealt with depression for years.

“I felt like I wasn't quite good enough,” Watson said. “I had these burns, these scars. I didn’t feel like I was going to be successful. I felt like I didn’t quite measure up, like I was going to be rejected.”

Eventually, her faith helped her overcome her struggles.

“I just dealt with it,” Watson said. “I knew God was telling me I didn't have to be depressed anymore.”

It hasn’t been easy on the Jordan family either.

Both of Gail’s siblings had premonitions that something bad was going to happen in the days leading to the crash.

Georgia Ann Richardson, Gail’s older sister, dreamed of her father awakening her, telling her Gail had died. In the dream, they drove past a fiery crash on the way to the hospital involving a black pickup.

She told her doctor about the dream, who chalked it up to stress over the impending deployment of her brother, Jungus Jordan — now a Fort Worth City Councilman — to Vietnam.

But she was concerned enough to tell her mother, who tried to think whether any of Gail’s friends drove a black pickup. Unbeknownst to the Jordans’ Lissa’s brother, Kim, had recently purchased one.

‘I’ve seen this before’

When she drove past the crash with her father and husband, Richardson told them: “I’ve seen this before.”

In the ensuing years, she’s had a lot of questions about those premonitions.

“I've kind of come to terms with it,” Richardson said. “It’s something I was supposed to accept I guess, that I wasn’t supposed to save her.”

Jungus Jordan, who was stationed at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, waiting to be shipped out to Vietnam, also had a dream. In it, his uncle, who lived in Abilene, came to his home and informed him of his sister’s death.

“I knew what he was going to say,” Jungus Jordan said when his uncle showed up at his home on the night of the crash.

Both siblings say their mother appreciates the visits from Gail’s old friends.

“It means so much to my Mom that there’s a little piece of Gail whenever they visit,” Richardson said. “We never stop thinking about her but especially around the holidays there’s a lot of excitement for Mom to see them. In a way, when she sees them, it helps her to know what Gail’s life would have been.”

This story was originally published December 22, 2017 at 9:12 AM with the headline "Gail was killed in 1972, but her friends do something special to keep her memory alive."