I was picking my way through the rubble-heaped streets of my small northeast Iowa hometown shortly after an EF5 tornado had leveled much of it about a year ago. Turning a corner in one devastated part of town, I saw Coach Ed Thomas' small truck under a giant pile of debris and then, the spot where the charismatic high school football coach's house had been.

Coach T, arms folded, was out in his front yard talking to reporters and the young football players who'd made their way to his house. There were no tears over his destroyed home. No wallowing in grief over the flattened high school he loved so much and the shrapnel-filled "Sacred Acre" field where he'd coached four NFL players. Instead, Coach T stood there dispensing the tonic the town desperately needed: strong, confident words about rebuilding a school and a community. The word went out, Parkersburg would play football in the fall. That's when I knew the town would be OK.

Now, sadly, I'm wondering again if the town will ever recover. On Wednesday morning came news that a horrifying crime had taken the life of this charismatic coach, teacher and friend. Around 7:45 a.m., a former student and player of Thomas' walked into a weight-room filled with kids and shot him. Thomas, 58, was airlifted to a nearby medical center but his injuries were too great. The beefy muscular coach, the guy who wasn't afraid to pray or cry with his kids after the terrible tornado, is gone forever.

I'm stunned, heartsick, angry and bewildered. It's not fair, I want to shout at the world, it's not right. Coach T was one of the good guys, a gifted educator who cared deeply about the kids on the field and off. Why him?

The last time I spoke to him was in December, when I interviewed him for the Star Tribune. It was an emotional session; he broke down in tears talking about the tornado, the little town's tenacity and all the students who've stayed in touch through the years. That was how Coach T really measured success. It wasn't the championships and the trophies, it was the lasting relationships he'd built. Coach T delighted in those who'd gone onto football glory, but he was just as proud of others who'd become teachers, scientists, business leaders and yes, journalists.

I've kept an e-mail from him on my desk for years. On it is the highest praise Coach T could give. "Like I have told the boys; you have not forgot where you came from.'' It's a reminder, in the midst of this terrible grief, that the powerful, positive impact he had on hundreds of lives will continue long after his death. He helped build the foundation on which generations of Iowa kids became good citizens and good parents — and lifelong supporters of the Aplington-Parkersburg Falcon football team. Thank you, Coach T. You will be missed.