A Florida family is heartbroken after a tragic accident took the life of their beloved father and grandfather. Noel Soleyn, 62, died Tuesday when he was pinned by a steam roller at a construction site in Palm Bay. His daughter, Shelly’Ann, described him as the kind of person who was always full of love and kindness.
“He was the most kindhearted, hard-working, joyful person you could ever meet,” she said, remembering her father’s constant smile.
Shelly’Ann had been on her way to visit her dad when she got the devastating phone call. “I was five minutes away from his house when I got a phone call. It didn’t make sense. I started calling him and blowing up his phone, but it was going to voicemail,” she recalled, still in shock.
Noel was a father to six and a grandfather to 10. His daughter said the whole family is struggling to process the loss. “None of us can believe what’s going on,” she said.
The pain feels especially raw for Shelly’Ann, who was planning to have her father walk her down the aisle at her upcoming wedding. “It’s something you dream about when you’re a little girl,” she said. “Your wedding day and being walked down the aisle by your father… I was just telling him about it.”
Noel had spent his life working in construction. Shelly’Ann shared a cherished memory from her childhood when her father brought her a rock from one of his work sites. “It’s a rock, which is silly, but it just made me happy. He was at work thinking about me and he brought me something,” she said, adding that he’d also given her necklaces, earrings, and even bought her a phone over the years.
As the family tries to cope with their loss, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and local police are investigating the accident. Shelly’Ann said it’s too soon to know if they will pursue legal action, but for now, the family is just grieving the sudden loss of a man who meant so much to them all.
