Tornado memorials

[Elaine Spencer]

Yesterday I was in Utica IL for a family reunion. While there I took some pictures of the memorial to the victims of the 4/20/04 tornado.







This memorial stands on the site of the Milestone Tap, where 8 of the 9 listed victims died. (The 9th was a stillborn baby boy whose mother went into labor prematurely after the tornado.) In addition to the marker and the fountain/waterfall, there are a couple of park benches and a drinking fountain which I didn't get in the picture. It is located right in the middle of downtown and seems to attract considerable attention -- there were at least three other people (not pictured) checking out the site when I was there.

Since these pictures turned out really, really tiny and you may not be able to read the inscription on the memorial, I will include the text here:

"A tornado, with little warning of its violent fury, struck downtown Utica on April 20, 2004. Nine persons perished in its aftermath, with eight of those in the Milestone Tavern. Nine people were rescued. Many homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed. Valiant rescue and recovery efforts were made by numerous volunteers and public service personnel from here and throughout northern Illinois.

"We memorialize those who suffered and died, and give thanks to those who aided in the rescue and recovery efforts."

"Gone But Not Forgotten"

Wayne "Danky" Ball
Sean Kennedy Brown
Helen Studebaker Mahnke
Michael Jay Miller
Carol Schultheis
Lawrence M. Ventrice
Marian P. Ventrice
Jay Vezain
Beverly J. Wood

Sean Kennedy Brown is the baby who died. The Ventrices were the owners of the tavern. Carol Schultheis was Wayne Ball's daughter and a waitress at the tavern. The others include local residents who came to the tavern from a nearby trailer park to take shelter when the tornado warning went out.

If anyone else has pictures of tornado memorials, either temporary or permanent, and regardless of age, that they'd like to share, feel free to post them here. I'm kind of interested in what they look like and how they compare to this one.

 

[Jarrod Barnett]

You should upload the pics to Photobucket and post the links so we can actually see the photos.

Thanks for sharing!

RIP to all of those people.

 

[joel ewing]

Thank you, Elaine. For some reason, your post and photos seemed to be an especially welcome relief for me while browsing thru Stormtrack today. All of us are forever throwing our tornadic captures in here day after day, year after year.....but we don't ever see anything like you just posted to remind us all of how vicious the prey we seek really is....or the end results when things go terribly wrong. You did it with class and dignity. Thanks again. Joel Ewing

 

[Elaine Spencer]

I posted these at photobucket -- see if this link works:

http://s1177.photobucket.com/albums/x355/ekrewer/

Let me know if it doesn't work or if there are any other issues with these pictures being viewable... I'm new to this.

Joel, thank you for your kind words.

 

[William Monfredo]

TX. Memorial Pics: Waco, Lubbock (2), Wichita Falls



Some memorial pics from some infamous TX tornadoes: Waco in '53, Lubbock in '70, and Wichita Falls in '79. While monuments serve as reminders of those that perished and those that helped clean up, it also reminds people of the storm itself, and perhaps the danger of severe weather. Some are more historical-sounding, others a bit more brotherhood-of-man-sounding. For many, it's a cultural and social area to research and study. (There's a unique bell from a church in Spencer, SD that's been turned into a historical memorial monument.)

 

[Elaine Spencer]

Last night I was googling the topic of tornado memorials and found several unusual or particularly touching examples:

-- Jarrell, TX: This story describes the lasting impact that a family of 5 who all died in the 1997 F5 twister had on the community: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-05-24-tornado-family_N.htm

-- Edmonton, AB: A fruit tree twig salvaged from the wreckage of a 1987 tornado becomes a living memorial to its 27 deceased victims: http://news.yahoo.com/video/living-memorial-tornado-victims-021200512.html

-- El Dorado KS: A giant aeolian harp memorializes those lost in a 1958 tornado: http://www.travelks.com/listings/1958-Tornado-Victims-Memorial/4072/

-- Joplin MO: Wood carving created from tree stump: http://www.koamtv.com/story/22785644/tree-stump-converted-to-tornado-memorial

-- Belvidere IL: Tornado sculpture outside Belvidere High School commemorates 1967 F4 tornado: http://fotofreak.smugmug.com/Memorials/Belvidere-Tornado-Memorial-1

-- DeKalb Co., AL: Two-sided, beautifully carved monument to victims of 4/27/11 tornadoes: http://lwoa.com/gallery/index.php?/category/95

 

[Shawn Schuman]

-- Jarrell, TX: This story describes the lasting impact that a family of 5 who all died in the 1997 F5 twister had on the community: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-05-24-tornado-family_N.htm

The Igo family story is very sad. I wrote a bit about them in my blog post on the Jarrell tornado. Here's a photo of the memorial park, with one tree planted for each of the 27 victims arranged in a semicircle:

And a memorial plaque near the ballparks:

Also a very nice memorial for the 1953 Waco tornado: