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Saturday, June 26, 1999
By SARA SYVERSON Journal Staff Writer There are some things in life that happen to us and we can see no rhyme or reason as to why it happened--we search our hearts and try to make sense of it and all we can see is that it is just plain hard to accept reality for what it is. These are the times we must call on faith- faith that everything will eventually work out the way it is supposed to. Four young 1999 Sleepy Eye High School graduate's lives were dramatically altered two weeks ago following a serious accident on June 9 at the intersection of U.S. Highway 169 North and Hwy. 19, on the LeSueur/Scott county line. The four students involved in the accident were Emily Steffens, 18, Bobby Jo Eckstein, Erica Martinez, 18, and Sam Remus, 18, (the driver) who were travelling southbound in a 1992 Chevrolet Corsica, and collided with a 1977 Titan recreational vehicle eastbound on Highway 19. All of the kids received injuries in the accident. The driver of the RV, Willard Wojahn, 72, of Cannon Falls, had pulled out in front of the Chevrolet, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. Eckstein, Martinez and Remus were treated and released for their injuries and Steffens is listed in fair condition at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale. Following the accident, Remus was treated and released from St. Francis Hospital, Shakopee. Eckstein was released from North Memorial Medical Center, and Martinez was released from North Memorial Medical Center and recovered at home. Steffens has been moved out of the Intensive Care Unit, at North Memorial Medical Center. "She's holding her own," said Steffens' father, Larry Dobson, of Sleepy Eye, "She is off the respirator, but she is not conscious and not responding to commands." Dobson said there is a possibility that Steffens may have sustained serious brain injury from the accident. "She's making progress everyday, but it's real discouraging how slow it is," said Dobson. The community has pulled together to help the Dobson family, Larry and his wife Melanie, by working on a garage and family room addition to their home they had halfway completed before the Steffens' accident. Last weekend about 10-12 men from the community got together and helped them shingle the roof of the addition, according to Mary VanRoekel, minister of Christian Education at Trinity Lutheran Church in Sleepy Eye. "The support from the community has been overwhelming," said Dobson, "Everyday people visit her in the hospital." Many people have given Steffens get well cards and from the cards, Dobson said he has learned more about his daughter by the comments people have made about her. The community of Sleepy Eye is putting on a Spaghetti dinner and concert on Sunday, June 27, 1999, as a benefit for Steffens, Eckstein, and Martinez. The benefit, where free-will donations will be accepted, will start at 5 p.m. and the concert will begin at 6 p.m. in the Sleepy Eye High School cafeteria and gym. The youth of Sleepy Eye Trinity Lutheran Church are planning the benefit and it will be sponsored by AAL No. 6873 (Aid Association for Lutherans). The money raised at the benefit will be matched by the AAL. VanRoekel said there are a great number of people involved in the organization of this benefit. The Sleepy Eye High School brass quintet and Jay Beech, a Christian rock singer, will be performing at the concert. The community of Sleepy Eye has also supported the four accident victims by giving donations into four bank accounts which have been set up in Sleepy Eye. "She's a wonderful person, very talented in speech and drama, very smart and very gifted, she has a very sweet disposition," VanRoekel said of Steffens, "She has taught Sunday School at church and she's been involved in the youth group and musical choirs at the church." Steffens has been very active in theater and music at Sleepy Eye High School and also in Sleepy Eye theater community productions, taking the lead roles in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Father of the Bride. She was also a cast member in Greece and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. The list of community theater productions she has been involved in includes The King and I, Guys and Dolls, and most recently she had been cast as the lead character in the musical Oklahoma. "Her accident has been tough on us," said High School Drama Director and Community Theater Chairperson Sandy Brinkman, "Our community is keeping faith that she'll come out of this." Several days after the accident, Steffen's parents were contacted by Brinkman and they were asked whether or not the play should go on without her. Brinkman said Steffens' parents felt in their hearts that she would have wanted the show to continue. "We're doing the show to honor Emily. She's constantly on our minds and hopefully she'll know we're doing it for her. Cheryl Hoffman has stepped in and has filled in for Emily. She is doing a spectacular job, she's also multi-talented...she's doing it for Emily, too." Brinkman, who has known Steffens for four years, said, "She (Steffens) is the most talented individual I've ever worked with. She's very gifted in so many ways and she is so nice," Brinkman continued, "She is a leader and a very powerful presence...not only in our school and our church, but in the community. She has touched and affected a lot of lives. I didn't feel there was anything that could stop her."
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