OCOEE, Fla. — For 32 years, George Dewayne Grimes worked to help make Disney’s theme parks sparkle for guests.

Family members say that's where he first learned the importance of safety on the job, as he worked for much of his career helping to upkeep decorations around the theme parks. 

"My dad won multiple safety awards through Disney," his son, David, said. "He was the safest guy you could find."

Dewayne Grimes died March 12 in an employees-only area of Disney's Epcot in what authorities described as an industrial accident.

Grimes retired from Disney for a second time in July 2018.

At the time of last week's incident, he was employed by Sunbelt Rentals, delivering and picking up heavy equipment, primarily at Disney parks.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office released an incident report Tuesday describing preliminary details on Grimes' death. Investigators said a female custodial employee in the "backstage" area of Epcot told them she saw Grimes in a cherry picker as he tried to load it onto a flatbed tow truck.

"The male was standing up in the basket of the cherry picker operating it in an effort to get it on the tow truck," the report states. "The bed of the tow truck was inclined at an angle touching the ground. She saw that the male was getting frustrated after he was not able to get the equipment up on the tow truck."

David Grimes said in the almost eight months his dad had worked for Sunbelt, he mentioned on several occasions having issues with his work truck, primarily that the wench system would not function properly.

Sunbelt did not reply to Spectrum News' request for an updated comment on the family's suggestion, but said last week that it is cooperating with investigators. Disney also did not respond to multiple requests for comment, including inquiries on how it was assisting in the investigation.

The Sheriff's Office report says the custodial employee walked away but cited other witnesses who "…reported they saw Grimes flying through the air before landing on the ground."

David Grimes said there are still questions about exactly what happened, pointing to a gap in witness statements which he thinks offers little insight into what happened between his dad walking out of the cab of his work truck to the point when he was flung into the air. 

"Closure is probably the best thing. We have no clear indication into what happened to my father," David Grimes said.

The Sheriff’s Office said there is no reason to believe the incident involved foul play. The family does not believe there was any, but wants a thorough investigation to ensure they understand exactly what happened.

The Grimes family said they're also perplexed by witness accounts that their father did not have any safety equipment near him.

"I could see him being even safer around heavy machinery," David Grimes said, adding that his father never took shortcuts when it came to safety at work or home.

As much as Dewayne Grimes loved his career at Disney, family members said he loved his family even more.

"The good thing is, and we're reassured... through his friends that say, 'Your dad loved you, but he loved you all equally,' " David Grimes said.

Those friends and family members gathered Wednesday for a morning funeral service. George Dewayne Grimes left behind a fiancée; his three children, Chris, David, and Vanessa; and two grandchildren, among others. 

"It's very gut-wrenching," David Grimes said. "You, at the time, try to think about everything you would have said to him prior, trying to gather those memories because it's tough."

Grimes' family grew over the years as he worked at Disney.

"He was connected everywhere. Everybody knew him, from the union. He just had a lot of people, and (they were) considered his Disney family," Grimes said. 

In 2007, Dewayne Grimes looked for change. So he decided to retire from Disney and open a restaurant in Winter Garden, transferring his at-home passion to a new dream.

"The man loved to cook," his son said.

The timing of the restaurant just wasn't right. The economy quickly took a turn for the worse.

"We all knew it had come to an end," Grimes said. "Personally, he downward-spiraled from there."

Dewayne found faith in his church and a new opportunity to join a faith-based strength team, performing and spreading the gospel at churches around Central Florida.

He had a brief return at Disney until retiring for a second time in July 2018 and then joining Sunbelt.

But no job amounted to the joy Dewayne found in his most important titles: Dad and grandfather.

"We'd never thought that we would be receiving that call that night and my dad would suddenly be gone," David Grimes said. 

The Sheriff’s Office and federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration continue to investigate.