EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, January 13, 2021
Class of ‘95 creates memorial bench for classmate
Deanna and her son Damon.
Above: Completed bench resides at Heppner High School. Below: Work in progress as the
bench was being built.
By members of Heppner
High School, Class of
1995.
The last time Deanna
Nadine Peck spoke was in
the spring of 2004. Over 15
years later she finally left
this world behind. This is
a story about inspiration,
friendship, and school spir-
it. This is Deanna’s story.
Deanna was loved by
everyone, not just her fam-
ily. Kindhearted, generous
and fun loving are words all
of us would use to describe
her. Saying she was a good
friend would be an under-
statement. She was full of
life and whenever she was
there, she brightened the
room for all of us.
Deanna was a great
classmate and an even bet-
ter person. She loved out-
door activities, hunting,
camping, etc. She loved
being around her friends.
Going to the speedway
was by far one of her most
favorite things to do.
On Saturday, May 1,
2004 Deanna set out to do
what she loved most, spend
another day at the racetrack.
On the drive she was joined
by her father, her sister, her
nephew, and her beloved
two-year-old son. This was
meant to be a fun-filled
family day at the races. Un-
fortunately, and tragically,
what happened along that
Deanna Peck (left) and her friend April Rollis played voleyball
at HHS.
drive would change their
lives forever. They never
made it to the track.
Deanna was in the driv-
er’s seat when her car was
struck by a pickup truck
on Highway 207 outside
of Hermiston. Everyone
life? A scholarship perhaps?
After brainstorming we de-
cided to build a memorial.
Not just any memorial, but
a bench that represented
her tough, yet classy and
enduring spirit.
The project was nearly
a year in the making and
was put together as a collab-
oration of the class of 1995,
and in association with
people in the community,
teachers and coaches.
The tailgate is a 1977
Chevy Truck tailgate to
honor the year Deanna
was born. It was purchased
and shipped from Geor-
gia to Portland, then was
delivered by a classmate
to Lexington (Deanna’s’
hometown). It ended up at
Coil Fabrication, where the
frame was fabricated and
coated.
The concept and design
were originally created and
agreed upon by members
of the class of ‘95. The
finishing touches were in-
stalled by classmates in
Lexington. “The Bench”
was eventually transported
to Heppner High School
where it resides today.
For Deanna’s friends
188 W. Willow
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and family, we sincerely
hope this bench will be
something for them to re-
member Deanna by for
many years to come. For
HHS classes going forward,
the class of 1995 sends an
ongoing message “to cher-
ish your time here and never
take your classmates for
granted.” Deanna’s legacy
is an inspiration. We hope
her story will be a forever
reminder of how to walk
through this life with kind-
ness, spirit, determination
and joy.
In Loving Memory of
Deanna Nadine Peck 1977-
2020. Our thanks to Hep-
pner High School for giving
“Deanna’s Bench” a home.
in the car survived, but not
without severe injuries.
The driver of the truck by
all accounts, walked away.
Deanna was air-lifted,
along with her sister, to
OHSU in Portland, where
she was treated for multiple
and massive injuries, in-
cluding severe head trauma.
She was eventually placed
in a medical coma and was
never able to speak again.
That was the day she began
the long fight for her life.
From that day forward, her
life story changed but her
courage and spirit for life
endured.
She later was trans-
ferred to Marquis Mt. Ta-
bor long term care facility
in Portland. Friends and
family visited often. She
was conscious but had no
awareness of her surround-
ings. She remained there
from 2004 until her passing
on February 10, 2020.
Deanna will forever be
remembered in the hearts
of all of us.
Within days, the news
of Deanna’s passing cir- (L-R): Deanna Peck, April Rollis and Tina (Chinen) Holtz.
culated amongst all of her
classmates. We learned
more about the depths and
*Design *Print *Mail
years of struggle she en-
dured. Ideas started flying
Sykes Publishing
back and forth. How could
we memorialize Deanna’s
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Deanna Nadine Peck
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