Cold weather arrives
2008 World AIDS Day
Canine Christmas
32 years ago
Scars remain from accident that killed 8
Mother of one of the victims, driver of car in 1976 tragedy can relate to pain being felt today
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
MINSTER — Time helps, but doesn't always heal. Alice Moorman will tell you that. So will John Kremer.
Especially when young lives are lost in car crashes close to home, like the one Saturday morning that claimed four Marion Local High School grads from nearby Mercy County.
Becky Moorman, 15, died March 7, 1976, when a motorist struck a group of teens. Also killed were Joy Brandewie, Kenneth Sommer, Barbara Olding, Scott Westerheide, Lester Ranly and cousins Michael and Anthony Kemper."It brought everything back, it just did," Moorman, 72, said from her home in Minster on Monday, March 17. "You just couldn't help but think of it."
It was 32 years ago this month that eight Minster teens were killed when a motorist came over a crest along Fort Recovery-Minster Road, ran a stop sign and drove into 40 teens who were standing in the road just east of Rolfes Road.
Becky Moorman, 15, and seven other youths died that Sunday night, March 7, 1976.
Kremer was the driver.
"It's still a tough time," Kremer, 53, said from his home in New Bremen. "As soon as I heard about it (Saturday's crash), I went up to (Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in New Bremen) and had Masses said for the children and the driver."
The four Mercer County men killed Saturday were Jordan Moeller, 18, and Bradley Roeckner, 19, both of Chickasaw; and Jordan Diller and Jordan Goettemoeller, both 19 and of Maria Stein.
Nicholas Schwieterman, 22, of Chickasaw, allegedly failed to stop at a sign on Ohio 716A and Brockman Road and crashed into the car driven by Moeller. Schwieterman pleaded not guilty Monday to four counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and one misdemeanor count of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.
When Moorman, a widow with seven other daughters, was asked if she had advice to offer the victims' families, she said, "Just hang in there. You just got to take each day as it comes."
"You can say, oh, you're so sorry, but that doesn't relieve the ache in your heart."
Talking helps.
"Four of my daughters and I were together on the day of the anniversary (of Becky's death)," Moorman said. "... Of course we cry, then we laugh about stuff that Becky did and different things. But you have to talk about it, you can't just let it go. And I've got pictures of her everywhere. She's with us all, too. She's here. Just ... we can't hug her."
Kremer, then 21, was on his way home to Maria Stein from work when he struck Moorman and her classmates, who had stopped with a caravan of cars to discuss directions to a basketball victory dance.
In November 1976, a judge found Kremer guilty of one count of vehicular homicide, revoked his driver's license for a year and fined him $300. Some parents were angry. Others, such as Alice and Virgil Moorman, were forgiving.
"It was an accident. It was a terrible, terrible accident," Alice Moorman said Monday.
Celina Municipal Judge James W. Myers noted then that nothing would be gained by jail time.
"You have created your own jail," Myers told Kremer. "You are going to live with this the rest of your life."
Fast forward 32 years: "It's just tough, man, it hurts so bad," said Kremer, choking back tears.
He was reluctant to talk Monday, fearing it would hurt the victims' families all over again. He feels for the families and victims of Saturday's crash, and for Schwieterman.
"I just hope the good Lord's with him. I'm praying for him every day," Kremer said. "I know how much it tears me up. I hope (the families) can get through it and they can forgive him. I just hope they can."
