In October, Modern Farmer magazine published a piece about one Illinois farming community's tribute to Kyle Hendrix, who recently passed away from cancer.
Jake Moore, a friend of Hendrix, arranged a tribute featuring a procession of dozens of tractors and other pieces of large farm equipment. As neighbors heard of the tribute, the procession grew until about 60 pieces of equipment were eventually lined up in memory of Hendrix.
Photographer Matt Rubel captured the scene.
Since then, his photos have gone viral and have been viewed by millions. Click through the gallery below, with captions from Rubel, and see why.
Photo Provided by Matt Rubel/Rubel Photography
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Traffic along the highway between Bement, Ill., and Monticello, Ill., began to increase as word spread about the massive tribute. Onlookers started stopping along the sides of the roads and gaping at the incredible display.
Photo Provided by Matt Rubel/Rubel Photography
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The view from the cemetery looking south to Bement, Ill. The funeral procession would drive right along this road and by the line of tractors.
Photo Provided by Matt Rubel/Rubel Photography
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After initial placement, the farmers then re-walked the line and moved tractors as little as a few feet to make sure the line was evenly spaced.
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The farmers receiving assignments to individual tractors. The whole event was planned meticulously.
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A group of Kyle's friends hitching a ride back to get another tractor. They all would exchange blue jeans and overall for suits at the funeral later that morning.
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The weather and sunrise seemed to approve of the efforts.
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A three-wheeled spreader is assigned to its pre-planned spot on the line.
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This is Ron Meece of Meece Farms and his employee, Pete Heath, moving two of their tractors from their equipment sheds to the staging fields near the cemetery.
Photo Provided by Matt Rubel/Rubel Photography
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Early morning discussion. Kyle's best friend, Jake, had the whole operation neatly organized by tractor type and color.
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As the sun rose, the work continued. Even though a sense of camaraderie fell over the event, so did the sense of loss.
Photo Provided by Matt Rubel/Rubel Photography
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In the staging area, a partially harvested corn field near Bement, Ill., over 40 tractors and pieces of equipment were left overnight. All with keys in the ignition, ready to be lined up the next morning for the funeral.
These photos were posted with permission of the photographer, Matt Rubel at Rubel Photography. Below, Rubel describes the event and what he saw:
I was in Monticello to shoot engagement photos for my cousin. She grew up on a farm just outside of town, and she and her two brothers were friends of Kyle Hendrix and his wife, Kristin. I had come a couple days early to see my mother's family and heard from my uncle that this tribute was taking place.
The interesting part is that the original plan was to place around 15 to 20 tractors along the road. Apparently, as word spread about Jake's plan, more and more farmers started bringing equipment that afternoon. I followed my uncle and his employee as they brought two tractors and was amazed to see so many tractors waiting for the next morning.
My cousins helped in the effort the next day, picking me up at 4:30 a.m. I spent the next two to three hours marveling at the huge machines and snapping pictures left and right.
If anyone would like to donate to the Kaleb and Khloe Hendrix Scholarship Fund, they can do so by contacting: First State Bank of Monticello, 201 West Main Street, Monticello, Illinois, 61856, (217) 762-9431