On Monday, Feb. 10, 2020, I walked to the door of The Trucker shortly after 7:30 a.m., expecting to wait at least half an hour for someone else to arrive and let me in. It was my first day at a new job, and I didn’t yet have a key. I’d been told work started “around 8 a.m.” but wanted to make sure I wasn’t late.
To my surprise, the office door was already open, propped wide with a decrepit-looking computer tower that had to be at least 20 years old. As I cautiously peered around the doorframe, I saw a gray-haired man, his nose mere inches from the screen of his desktop computer, his fingers tapping away on the bulky keyboard. Completely absorbed in his work, he seemed oblivious to my not-so-grand entrance.
I must have made some noise (or perhaps he just sensed someone lurking), because suddenly, he swiveled around to face the door. “You snuck right up on me!” he said with a laugh. “You must be Linda.” As he shifted to stand, I noticed for the first time the metal walker resting beside his desk. He laboriously rose, grasped the walker, paused for a minute to gain his equilibrium and then moved forward, smiling mischievously, to shake my hand.
And that, my friends, was the first time I met Lyndon Finney, who served as managing editor of The Trucker newspaper and website from 2004-2019. During that decade and a half, he firmly established the company as a leading source of news for the trucking industry.
By the time I made his acquaintance, Lyndon had officially retired as managing editor of The Trucker. However, he couldn’t bring himself to completely retire from the news industry — or from trucking, for that matter — and he continued to serve as managing editor for Truckload Authority, a bimonthly magazine the company produces for the Truckload Carriers Association. He worked from home as needed, and every couple of months he’d spent a week or two in the office during “crunch time” for the magazine.
I had no idea I was in the presence of one of the great names in trucking news until much later, once I became immersed in the industry and began to hear others speak his name with both respect and affection.
Lyndon was a veteran of the news industry, with more than five and a half decades of experience under his belt. While I’d worked in publishing for more than 30 years myself, The Trucker was actually my first gig that involved writing “real” news as opposed to human-interest stories and marketing pieces.
During my first few weeks and months, Lyndon was instrumental in helping me get my bearings as I delved into the world of trucking, government regulations and the ins and outs of how products made their way from the factory to the store.
On that chilly February day back in 2020, I didn’t realize how fortunate I was to have a chance to meet Lyndon in person. By the end of my first week, the magazine had been finalized and was safely at the printer, and Lyndon headed home, fully expecting to return to the office in about six weeks for the next whirlwind of pre-press activity.
That never happened.
Five weeks later the U.S. started to implement shutdowns because of COVID-19. One week after that, members of The Trucker team found themselves working from home rather than risk exposure to this strange, unpredictable new virus.
Personally, I despised working from home and not being able to communicate directly with colleagues. I know myself, and my tendency to procrastinate, well enough to realize that I need a structured schedule AND a reason to get ready and leave the house each workday to be productive. (If you ever have a chance to look at my 2020 calendar, you’ll see 42 weekdays tagged as “WAH,” an acronym for “worked at home” — as well as a desperate “waaaaaaaaahhhhhhh” about the entire situation.)
After eight and a half long weeks of covering news of the pandemic and following both trucking and COVID-19 regulations from home, most members of The Trucker’s editorial/production team returned to the office. For me, at least, it was a huge relief.
Lyndon, however, never returned to the office. Because of his age and health issues, he continued to work from home. Those first five days at The Trucker were the only times I ever saw Lyndon in person.
Even so, Lyndon and I built a solid relationship as colleagues and friends. We remained in constant contact via phone, email, text and video meetings. I came to rely on his expertise in both news reporting and the trucking industry — especially when I was bumped into the role of managing editor of The Trucker in August 2021.
In 2023, Lyndon reluctantly retired completely because of his health. Afterward, we still visited via emails, texts and occasional phone calls. As his health grew worse, the time between those visits grew longer. Our last conversation was just a few weeks ago on March 21 while I was covering the 2024 Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky — an event Lyndon said was always one of his favorites. (Of course, I’m pretty sure that EVERY truck show and convention he was able to take part in was his favorite!)
Then, on Friday, April 19, I was putting the final touches on the latest edition of Truckload Authority and preparing to send it off to the printer. I had just double-checked the staff listing, including Lyndon’s role as editor emeritus, and thought, “I need to touch base with Lyndon!” when my phone rang.
The caller was Lyndon’s wife, Donna, one of the most beautiful souls I have ever known. The minute I heard her voice I knew something was amiss, but I tried to ignore the worrisome feeling. We chitchatted a bit in an effort to delay the news I knew in my heart was coming: Lyndon had passed away the previous day.
We both cried as she told me the news and reminisced about Lyndon. We are pretty sure that if Heaven did not already have a newspaper, Lyndon has started one and is happily sharing stories about events and notable figures.
Last week, those of us left behind had a chance to celebrate Lyndon’s life. It was good to be able to say one final goodbye to a man who devoted his life not only to news and the trucking industry, but also to his family, his church and his savior. Lord willing, we will meet again — and I will happily take my place as a staff member of “Heaven’s Daily News” under his tutelage.
In the meantime, there is a huge Lyndon-shaped hole left in the fabric of The Trucker and in the lives of his family, friends and colleagues.
Linda Garner-Bunch has been in publishing for more than 30 years. You name it, Linda has written about it. She has served as an editor for a group of national do-it-yourself publications and has coordinated the real estate section of Arkansas’ only statewide newspaper, in addition to working on a variety of niche publications ranging from bridal magazines to high-school sports previews and everything in between. She is also an experienced photographer and copy editor who enjoys telling the stories of the “Knights of the Highway,” as she calls our nation’s truck drivers.
