Husband killed himself after wife was hit by rock from an overpass and blamed himself
The husband who killed himself after his wife suffered brain damage when teenagers dropped a rock from an interstate overpass onto their car often cried at night, asking why he was spared from harm but she wasn't, a friend has said.
Jeff Farrow recalled how deeply devoted Randy Budd was to his wife of 33 years, Sharon Budd, and how difficult it was for him to see her suffer.
The attack in July 2014 on a central Pennsylvania highway did considerable damage to Sharon's skull and brain and caused the Ohio teacher to lose her right eye.
In January, Randy said that his wife had undergone seven major surgeries and would require constant care for the rest of her life.
'I saw him after they came home from the hospital,' Farrow said. 'He would try to wind down and just cry and cry and cry and say, 'I can't believe this happened to my Sharon. Why couldn't it have been me?''
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Randy Budd (above, with his wife Sharon in 2015) killed himself after his wife suffered brain damage when teenagers dropped a rock from an interstate overpass onto their car
Randy died on Saturday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
He was 55, and the couple had four children - daughter Kaylee and sons Lucas, James and Joe.
He was the vice president of sales and marketing of Radius Hospitality, a hotel management and sales and revenue management solutions company.
'The poor man, he suffered for so long,' Farrow said. 'God love him, he went a long time hurting and suffering.
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Farrow and his husband, who run a cleaning business near a hospital in Danville, Pennsylvania, where Sharon was taken after the attack, saw a news report about it and offered Randy a free place to live.
They banded together with a small legion of friends, family and volunteers to help the Budds, organize fundraisers and provide moral support.
Randy Budd (pictured with his wife, daughter and two of his sons) died on Saturday
Four Pennsylvania teenagers pleaded guilty or no contest to various offenses for participating in the dead-of-night attack on a remote stretch of Interstate 80.
The young men, who were 17 and 18 years old at the time of the attack, were given minimum sentences of a year to four and a half years behind bars and will be on probation after their release.
Dylan Lahr, 18, Tyler Porter, 19, and Keefer McGee, 18, are serving time in jail after being sentenced in September last year.
Lahr, who dropped the rock, must serve at least four and a half years, while Porter must serve a year and 10 months. McGee must serve eleven and a half months.
Brett Lahr, Dylan's 20-year-old brother, was previously jailed for at least 18 months after pleading no contest to a conspiracy charge.
A friend recalled how deeply devoted Randy Budd (above, with Sharon in October 2014) was to his wife of 33 years, and how difficult it was for him to see her suffer
Sharon and Randy Budd are pictured celebrating his 30th anniversary before she sustained the horrific, life-changing injuries
The prosecutor in the case, Union County District Attorney Pete Johnson, told Pennlive.com this week that he sees a link between the rock attack and Randy's death inside his home in Uniontown, Ohio.
'Randy Budd did not die from a gunshot,' Johnson said. 'He died when those kids threw a rock through his windshield.'
Messages left for defense lawyers and at the defendants' homes weren't returned Tuesday.
Police said the rock throwing was part of a day of troublemaking that included stealing steaks, breaking a neighbor's window and driving through a cornfield.
Sharon was a front-seat passenger in an SUV driven by their daughter, on their way to see a show in New York, when the rock crashed through the windshield.
Before her seventh operation last year, Randy had praised his wife as 'an inspiration', saying she remained 'upbeat and positive' despite her injuries
Sharon Budd (right) is pictured with her son Lucas, who served in the U.S. Army
At a sentencing last summer, Sharon, who taught language arts at a middle school, said her 'heart went out' to the defendants.
'I think back to when I was 17, I didn't always make the best decisions,' she said.
Farrow said he never heard Randy criticize the defendants.
'He truly loved everybody,' Farrow said. 'He never said anything ill about those kids, never ever, to me. I never met such a positive man. All he wanted was for Sharon to get better.'
They spoke most recently last week, making plans for Farrow and his husband to visit the Budds this coming weekend. Randy didn't know they were part of a wider surprise family reunion in the works.
Randy sent him a text the night before his suicide, telling the couple he loved them — the sort of thing he did all the time.
Dylan Lahr, 18 (left), who dropped the rock, Tyler Porter, 19 (center), and Keefer McGee, 18 (right), have been jailed for the crime along with Dylan's 20-year-old brother Brett
Sharon attended court on the day the teenagers were sentenced (pictured) saying she felt 'sorry for them' as they asked for her forgiveness
'If you ask me why, in my opinion, this happened, I'm going to tell you that Randy lost Sharon when this happened, and when he lost Sharon, he lost his life,' Farrow said.
'Because Sharon was his life — every single thing — for him.'
A memorial service for Randy has been scheduled for Friday evening at Paquelet Funeral Home in Massillon, Ohio.
If you need to speak to a counselor, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-(800) 273-8255 or visit the website.
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