LONGVIEW, Texas — The loss of anyone is hard for those who loved them. Bubba's 33 in Longview is mourning the loss of one of their own, 19-year-old Jordyn Hampton.
Hampton was on her way to work, driving from Kilgore traveling northbound on FM 2087, when crashed her vehicle. She died at the scene.
“I just really thought that there was some miscommunication or someone, someone got the facts mixed up. Just a lot of disbelief and shock,” Chelsee Lane, manager of Bubba’s 33 in Longview, said.
Hampton worked as a server and throughout her time at the restaurant, she developed close friendships with her coworkers.
“She was like a little sister that I've always wanted, but never got,” Christina Honore said. “I only knew her for a year and a lot happened in a year you know, and I'm just grateful that I got to have known her and I'm gonna miss her a lot. Her heart for people was big, she would play around, she would laugh, she was just gorgeous, inside and out. "The biggest thing that I'll miss from her the most is just her smile and her heart."
To help cope with the grief, employees were encouraged to write down their memories of Hampton to help reflect more on the happier times and less on the tragedy.
“The day after the accident, we set up a table with a photo and some flowers, and we set up a journal where our team members could share memories or family stories that we could give to her parents and they could hold on to that.” Lane said. “They've just told me what a blessing that's been for them to have a place where they could just sit and talk to her and just feel close to her.”
On Thursday, September 29, the restaurant plans to donate 100% of its profits to Hampton's family to help with final expenses.
“It's just about rallying the community and being able to show her family how much she meant to us and how much they mean in our community,” Lane added.
Lane says the restaurant will continue to raise money after Thursday's event. Anyone that goes out to eat at Bubba’s 33 in Longview can fill out a paper butterfly designed for Hampton to donate. They’re also looking into partnering with the Kilgore Softball and Soccer Association to host an annual tournament in her memory.