Morning Call – June 29, 2005

Four Tragedies in Upper Bucks

Dear Friends,

Good morning. Last week, I talked with Dawn Knisley, the District Manager for PennDot about the “forgotten mile.” That one-mile stretch on Rt. 412 between Rt. 212 and the Northampton county line is littered with potholes, making residents hopping mad. It turned out that she had the right answer. The “forgotten mile” will be resurfaced this summer. “It will cost around $50,000,” Knisley said.

But she really wanted to talk about the four tragedies, which struck Upper Bucks communities within days of each other.

Knisley is a Perkasie resident and a friend of the Detwiler family that experienced unbelievable horror. Moments after Andrew Detwiler shot and killed his wife, Suzanne, in their East Rockhill Township home, their 15-year old son, Corey shot and killed his father. No charges will be filed against the boy because Bucks County District Attorney Diane Gibbons says that the shooting was justified.

Knisley reminded me of another domestic violence story…the murder- suicide in Quakertown, just days before. Jeffrey Ogle shot and killed his estranged wife, Robin Shaffer, and eluded police for most of the day before fatally turning the gun on himself.

There was more bad news.

The Barmuwamye family lost their 4-year-old son, Daudi, the victim of sudden cardiac death as he rode an amusement ride at Disney’s Epcot theme park. According to news accounts, the little boy had an exceptional mind. “Daudi traveled extensively with his parents,” Ron Devlin wrote in the Morning Call (June 19). “His father, Moses L. Barmuwamye, works at the United Nations in New York.

Those at the service said Daudi’s mother recalled how he wanted to give all his toys to children he met on a trip to Africa.” Daudi wanted to be an astronaut. Ironically, he died on a ride called “Mission Space.”

Knisley and I talked about Lance Corporal Robert Mininger who was buried a few days ago in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. The Hilltown Township marine was killed in action in Iraq. Over 100 attended the military funeral, one as far away as Arizona. “I think he’d be surprised at all the lives he’s touched,” his mother, Paula Zwillinger told Jeff Miller in a Morning Call story (June 21). “Friends always looked up to him. I don’t think he knew.”

Why do bad things happen to good people? How do families and communities cope with such tragedies? With interest, I read Pervaiz Shallwani’s story about how the Pennridge community is coming to grips with the arson fire which destroyed Mood’s Covered Bridge in East Rockhill a year ago. Six Pennridge High School graduates set fire to the historic bridge and served 18 days in the County jail. Shallwani reports that the six are repaying the debt, estimated at more than $66,000.

Two local institutions created a 40-minute documentary, “Burning Bridges,” which discusses what happened to the Mood’s Covered Bridge, who the arsonists were and what the impact to the community was. The film catches the residents’ outrage and the remorse of the six.

Time will tell whether the documentary will heal the wounds caused by the destruction of Mood’s Covered Bridge. But there’s no documentary, which will heal the scars from the four tragedies we’ve read about last week. Only the strength of family ties, support from friends, prayers, and plenty of faith will get them through the ordeal. They certainly will be in our earnest and constant prayers.

Sincerely,

Charles Meredith