After fatal crash, wife remembers her husband as someone who loved his family and was a ‘force of nature.’

TERRETON — After a 23-year-old man died in a crash last week, his wife is remembering him as someone who loved his family, gave it his all, and was a force of nature.

Wyatt Billman of Terreton, lost his life on Dec. 4 on Idaho Highway 33 just after 7 a.m. in Jefferson County.

Idaho State Police report he was driving a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado when he crossed the center line and hit a semi-truck head-on. Police said it appears black ice factored into the crash.

RELATED | One dead in Jefferson County crash

RELATED | Coroner identifies man who died in Jefferson County crash

Addie Billman, 21, is Wyatt’s wife. She says he was on his way to work that day in Idaho Falls. They lived 45 minutes away and he liked to be early. He was a diesel mechanic.

“He was always the first one there most of the time just because that was something he cared about. He always tried to leave by 7 a.m.,” Addie said. “He loved all the guys he worked with.”

The crash

She said on the day of the crash, her uncle was at the wreck.

“My uncle is a part of the fire department, search and rescue,” Addie said. “My aunt was showing me a picture of the (vehicle) that had gotten in this wreck and I looked at it and I said, ‘Oh, that looks like Wyatt’s pickup!'”

She was then shown a picture of the license plate and she knew it was him. Addie had called his work and they had told her that he wasn’t there yet.

“So then I got in my car… I just barely pulled out of the driveway. A state cop had passed me and headed toward my house and as soon as I saw the state cop, I kind of knew that it was bad,” she recalls.

Addie turned around and went home to meet with the officer and she was told the news.

“I immediately dropped to the ground and just started crying and screaming … and I just felt empty,” Addie said.

Wyatt was a loving husband and father

Addie and Wyatt got married on Feb. 2 last year in Idaho Falls. They have a 15-month-old son named Arlo together. Arlo adored his father, as did Wyatt with his son.

“They loved each other so much! They would always try to figure out ways to tease me … well, mostly Wyatt would, and Arlo would gladly go along because it was his dad,” Addie laughed, thinking about the two together.

She said one of Arlo’s favorite things to do every time Wyatt would come home from work was to go up to his red Chevy pickup out in the driveway.

“He loved it so much. He would go straight to it and sit there and pull on the handle and try to open it. He would want to sit in the driver’s seat with his dad and he would want to pretend to drive. He thought it was so fun,” Addie said.

Now, every time Arlo sees a red pickup that looks like his dad’s, he goes over to the door and tries to open it.

“But I’m like, ‘No, this isn’t your dad’s pickup,'” Addie said.

It’s difficult with Wyatt being gone. Arlo is so young and she said he doesn’t fully understand where his dad is or what happened to him.

“Arlo, you can tell he’s acting a little different. He’s trying to figure out where his dad is. We look at pictures of him every day and he points to him and says, ‘Dad!'” she said. “He still loves his dad.”

Remembering him

Addie describes Wyatt as strong-willed and determined in everything that he did.

He enjoyed hunting and fishing. Read his obituary here. He liked being outside in the warmer weather.

“He loved shooting his guns with his brothers, and he would try and get me to shoot guns with him,” Addie said. “He always talked about how he would get our son Arlo to shoot guns with him when he was older when he could do that.”

Wyatt also loved playing video games with his brothers.

“It was one of his favorite things. He was so good! He was super, super competitive. That’s just how he was,” she said.

They both had big plans, too. They were planning on buying a house in Idaho Falls soon.

“He was actually going to look at some houses with his dad after work the day of the accident,” Addie said.

He made a difference

Addie wishes she could still talk to her husband, but she is grateful for him and what he did for her and Arlo.

“Wyatt sacrificed a lot for us. I know he is still going to be helping us on the other side,” she said.

Addie has had a lot of love and support from everyone around her during this difficult time. People in the community of Terreton have set up a bank account for her at The Bank of Commerce to help her and Arlo.

A representative from The Bank of Commerce told EastIdahoNews.com that if anyone wants to donate, they can call any branch in the area and ask to donate in Addie Billman’s name.

Addie knows her husband made a difference in people’s lives.

“There were quite a few people that came up to me at the funeral and before the funeral, and they were like, ‘I wouldn’t be who I was without Wyatt.’ I can definitely agree with that, that I wouldn’t be who I was without him,” she said.

As for the future, buying a house has been put on hold. However, she says she will fulfill what Wyatt and she wanted to do together with their son.

“What Wyatt and I had always talked about is we wanted to go travel with Arlo. Next year, we are going to go to a few countries and travel a little bit,” she said. “That’s what Wyatt would have wanted us to do.”