Amy Tatlock was a parent of four kids and a grandmother of two, but she touched the lives of many others as a longtime Girl Scout troop leader and an engaged community member, according to her daughter, Michaela Tatlock.
Amy Tatlock, 49, died Thursday in Corinth after a tree fell on her car during a severe storm that ripped through the area.
“She was so devoted to her kids and her grandkids,” Michaela Tatlock said. “She always put others before herself, and I really loved that about her, even though it drove me crazy in the moment.”
A resident of Charleston in Penobscot County, Amy Tatlock is remembered by her family as a selfless and dedicated person who was a steady, caring presence for those close to her.
She loved camping at Pushaw Lake, and Michaela Tatlock recalled fond memories of going for drives and listening to music with her mom. She called her kids and grandkids all the time, her daughter said.
“Every time I was driving, she would always give me a call and make sure I was okay,” Michaela Tatlock said.
Amy Tatlock was a volunteer driver for Penquis, an anti-poverty organization, and spent more than 20 years as a Girl Scout troop leader.
“She always said that she got to feel like kind of a second parent to the girls and make an impact in their lives,” Michaela Tatlock said, adding that her mom “truly took pride in how much she did for the community and how involved she was.”
Her sudden death has been “absolutely heart-shattering,” Michaela Tatlock said.
Amy Tatlock was driving Thursday afternoon with her 14-year-old daughter and 4-year-old granddaughter when a tree branch broke free and crashed through the car’s windshield. The children walked away with nothing more than minor injuries.
“My daughter keeps saying she wants her Nana,” Michaela Tatlock said. “She was my daughter’s best friend.”
“The thing that’s kind of giving me some hope is that God knew that she wouldn’t be able to handle if it was my sister or my daughter instead of her,” Michaela Tatlock continued. “And he knew that she couldn’t handle the feeling of losing one of us or anyone that she loved, so he spared her from that.”
After the crash, Tatlock’s car kept moving, and another driver on the road stopped the vehicle, the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office said.
That person has asked to remain anonymous, Michaela Tatlock said, but she called the person a “guardian angel.” The other driver may have saved the children’s lives, according to the sheriff’s office.
Michaela Tatlock said she’s received an outpouring of community support after launching a GoFundMe to help her dad, Andrew Tatlock, make funeral arrangements.