Hardin County Man Fatally Bitten by Snake
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A typical Saturday turned tragic for one Hardin County man after a run in with nature. Community members said Leroy Oakley, 48, of Counce, died Saturday after being bitten by a Copperhead snake. “One of the finest men I ever knew. He always had the biggest smile,” said his former employer, Diana Barker. An expert fisherman and outdoors man, Oakley was no stranger to wildlife, until Saturday. “He would not have it this way if he could have changed it,” said Jay Barker, Oakley’s close friend. Barker worked with Oakley in landscaping for two decades before giving him a job at his family’s restaurant, which sits directly across the street from the Oakleys’ home. Barker was one of the first on the scene after he was found. “I am EMT trained. I just knew that if they screamed for me I could help them, but not this time,” said Barker. According to Barker, Oakley was walking to the creek in his backyard to feed the fish, but he never made it. About midway, Barker said Oakley stepped on a Copperhead snake, which bit him on his ankle. He said Oakley grabbed a pitchfork and was able to kill the snake before sub-coming to the poison. Unfortunately, Barker said Oakley’s family has a history of allergies to wasps and bee stings and this bite turned fatal quickly. “The allergic reaction had him swollen up around the neck and tongue,” said Barker. Oakley’s wife found him lying in the yard, the dead snake was right beside him. “I am sure this is right some way but I do not think I will ever see the right in it. I do not know if I can,” said Barker. “I called him the rock. Everybody else called him June for Junior but he was the rock that I leaned on.” Oakley’s funeral is scheduled for Wednesday in Savannah.
