Community rallies for family of victim killed in Western Washington storm
Dec 3, 2015, 11:40 AM | Updated: 12:36 pm
Grant Strinden was killed by a falling tree Nov. 17, leaving behind his fiance Ronicka Messner and their 7-year-old daughter Kandyce. (Ronicka Messner via Facebook)
(Ronicka Messner via Facebook)
Thursday’s predicted windstorm comes just weeks after last month’s powerful storm sent a tree crashing into Grant Strinden’s car, killing the 23-year-old Monroe man.
He was driving to pick up his 7-year-old daughter Kandyce when the tree struck. His fiance, Ronicka Messner, frantically called for hours trying to reach him before learning of his death.
Since then, the community has been trying to support the Monroe man’s devastated fiance and their 7-year-old daughter, including a fundraiser Wednesday night at the restaurant where she works.
Related: Storm strikes Western Washington, thousands already without power
“If you have family … you cannot imagine in the blink of an eye someone taken away from you. I have goose bumps just talking about it,” said Scott Perry, the owner of Tuscano’s Italian Kitchen, where Ronicka works as a waitress.
Messner has worked at the restaurant since earlier this year, and struggled with a tough upbringing, Perry said. The young family was just starting to get on their feet when the tragedy happened, he added.
Since then the community has embraced the young mother and her daughter.
“I’ve had people stopping by every day, dropping off $5, $50, $100 bills, cards with checks,” he said. “This little town and the people around here are amazingly kind and generous and thoughtful. And it’s the one’s who seem to not have much are the one’s who seem to give the most.”
Messner’s coworkers donated their wages and tips from a fundraiser to help her out, Wednesday night, while Perry donated 25 percent of the proceeds.
Messner doesn’t like asking for help, but everyone insisted, Perry said.
But with Grant gone, she needs far more. So Perry is calling on people to pitch in to a GoFundMe page set up to pay some of her bills and take care of 7-year-old Kandyce.
“We’re just so thankful to have such a great community of people that care and rally together around folks who really need a hand up,” he said.
And Perry says that’s just one of the small blessings they’re clinging to after the shocking death.
“The real blessing in this is that her daughter was not in the car driving back home with Grant and they would have lost both of them,” Perry said.
