WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Six months after moving from Philadelphia to Williamsburg, Joseph Palumbo never thought he would be planning a funeral for his fiancé, Tammy Parsons.
On Sunday, October 1, 2023, Parsons was driving her family to Busch Gardens for Howl-O-Scream when the trip turned tragic. Virginia State Police say a loose tire from another vehicle flew through her windshield on I-64 and hit Parsons.
Palumbo said he and Parsons had been dating for more than ten years and then proposed to her. “[Her] sense of humor, crazy like to play practical jokes and goofy things, you know,” said Palumbo.
He also said she was a dedicated mother to her four children and five grandchildren. Palumbo said once the family moved to the area, Tammy would often volunteer with her grandchildren’s little league, the Williamsburg Hornets.
But Palumbo said he will miss Tammy’s strength, even recalling when she stayed by his bedside after he experienced a medical emergency.
“A year ago, maybe two years ago, I died. I went to work, and I died. She [Tammy] had the strength to call my family and let them know I wouldn’t make it. She stayed by my side the entire time I was in the hospital, and when I woke up, she was there. She never left.”
While Palumbo mourns his fiancé, he is comforted by support from the community. He said the players' families on the Williamsburg Hornets and others have supported him throughout this challenging time.
“The GoFundMe Page raised a couple of thousand dollars to help towards my funeral expenses and things of that nature, and the fact that the community, this league, this team, all the parents, the kids came together to help me, and I’ve only been here for six months tells me something special about this neighborhood, this community and the people in this area,” said Palumbo.
A few days after the crash, Palumbo said the family received a package that Tammy had ordered. It was a Halloween lawn decoration.”
“I didn’t know it was coming and then the next day,” said Palumbo. “I’m not going to lie. It brought a little tear.”