A missing couple from Texas led to our song of the day for June 28th

A missing couple led to our song of the day, “The Way.”

Every year, Raymond and Lela Howard looked forward to attending a fiddle festival 15 miles from their home in Belton, Texas.

Raymond was 87 and Lela was 83 when they got into their car on Saturday, June 28, 1997. Lela, who was showing signs of dementia, sat in the driver’s seat. Raymond, who was recovering from brain surgery following a car accident, sat in the passenger seat.

They never returned home. Family and authorities searched for 13 days before finding them dead 350 miles away in Arkansas. Hikers found their car at the bottom of a 25-foot-deep ravine. Inexplicably, Raymond was in the passenger seat. Lela was 20 feet from the car, purse and car keys in hand.

No one knows exactly how they ended up in Arkansas. Police stopped them at different times on June 29. The first officer stopped them for not having their headlights on. An hour later, the second stopped them with their high beams on. Both times, the couple received a warning.

The missing couple became a Texas story. An Austin newspaper headlined, “Elderly Salado couple missing on trip to nowhere.”

Watch WUSA9’s story

This caught the attention of Tony Scalzo, a member of the band Fastball. He followed the story daily, but instead of fearing the worst, he had a romantic twist. The couple just wanted to get away from their duties and be like they were when they were young lovers.

The result was our song of the day, “The Way.” Scalzo wrote and finished it before the Howards were found.

The song debuted at number one on the Billboard Adult Alternative charts. The album containing the song sold over a million copies. Fastball never had a bigger hit.

Song of the Day was created by Sheldon Zoldan and produced by Pam James for WGCU. To receive Song of the Day in your inbox every day, email [email protected] with the subject line “ADD ME TO SOTD”.