Family, friends recall Washington Township family killed in Pennsylvania car wreck
Jean Feick, in great detail, recalled her recent visit with son Tom, his wife Cathie and grandson Derek.
They arrived June 15 at Tom’s family home in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, for a weekend of family visits, comfort food and fun, dedicated in part to celebrating Cathie’s 49th birthday on June 19.
There was a round of mini-golf, at Cathie’s request, and Tom made upside down pineapple cake, while Jean prepared a chicken and stuffing casserole. Jean purchased an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen — Cathie’s first — with her name on it and decorated in purple, Cathie’s favorite color.
Jean gave Cathie a quilt for her birthday and, around 8 p.m., the family of three and Cathie’s dog Hazel, a poodle mix, loaded in the car to return to their Washington Township.
They never made it.
A little more than four hours after they left Quakertown, their car was struck by one semi truck and then another on Interstate 80 in Centre Township, Pennsylvania. The family of three died at the scene; Hazel escaped and has yet to be found.
The time before the accident, Jean said, couldn’t have been better.
“The other thing that was comforting to me is that all three of them had the best relationship together,” she said. “All three were at a very happy time in their lives.”
Family and friends remember Tom, 48, his wife Cathie, 49, and son Derek, 18, for their generous and loving spirit and their fondness for animals after the wreck that unexpectedly took their lives.
Tom worked at Howmet Aerospace in LaPorte while Cathie worked most recently as a tax preparer. Derek, whom Cathie home-schooled, finished high school early and had completed a year of training as a paramedic at Ivy Tech at the time of his death, as well as working at a fast-food restaurant.
Tom and Cathie began dating after they met freshman year at Chesterton High School. Though Tom moved with his family to Pennsylvania and finished high school there, he later returned to Porter County.
“It didn’t take him long to come back,” said Maggie Dudash of Chesterton, who met Tom halfway through eighth grade when her family moved here.
She and Tom soon became close friends, as he was the only person Dudash knew at the high school and the pair had several classes together.
“My freshman year, everyone thought Tom and I were dating and we were friends,” Dudash said, adding Cathie asked her if it was OK for her to date Tom. Once Tom moved to Pennsylvania, Dudash and Cathie became best friends.
If Tom and Cathie had it in their power to help someone, Dudash said, they would, even if it was someone they didn’t know.
“They were both very, very giving with their hearts. There was not a person they would not help,” she said, adding family was always a priority.
Cathie’s house was a shelter for teen nieces and nephews to decompress, Dudash said, adding she loved children and would often pitch in with friends’ kids to give them a break. When a family member escaped an abusive relationship, she moved into the Feicks’ home until she was back on her own.
“Any time they could offer shelter physically or emotionally, they would,” Dudash said, adding Cathie was present when Dudash had her two daughters and home-schooled one of them.
Jean Feick, who has been back and forth between Pennsylvania and Porter County since the death of her son and his family, said she has been overwhelmed by the stories she’s heard from members of Grace Chapel in Valparaiso, where the family was active in the church.
“They were so generous and caring and loving for the community,” she said.
Jeannine Hornback lives in Washington Township less than a half mile from the Feicks. Her daughter Alyvia, 16, and Derek were the best of friends, participating in the Porter County 4-H dog project together, riding bikes and often hanging out.
When Hornback heard about the wreck and told Alyvia, her daughter couldn’t believe her. She and Derek had just been texting and she insisted they were on their way home.
“This is just totally devastating for us. It’s just unimaginable that it even happened,” Hornback said, adding she has known the Feicks for around seven years.
Derek and his mixed breed dog Greg were inseparable, she said, and the pair won grand champion in the dog agility competition at the fair one year. Derek was a gifted woodworker and loved playing guitar.
After a field trip, Derek decided to become a paramedic. Hornback said Derek decided, “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life. This would be amazing.”
“He was so talented. He had a knack for so many things,” Hornback said, adding later, “His parents really reared him to be a good member of our community.”
A celebration of life service will be held for the Feicks at 11 a.m. on July 21 at Grace Chapel, 157 Lafayette Street, Valparaiso, according to their obituaries. An interment follows at 2 p.m. at Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens in Schererville. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in the Feicks’ memory to Grace Chapel, Lakeshore PAWS, Porter County Animal Shelter or Michiana Humane Society.
The family, Jean Feick said, will be buried in a plot together next to Cathie’s mother and grandmother.
“It’s been hard,” she said, releasing a heavy sigh over the phone, “but sometimes sad things happen.”
The Feicks believed strongly in their faith, friends and family said, and that brings them some measure of comfort.
“We know where they’re at,” Hornback said, “and they’re waiting for us now.”
