DAD RITCHEY, ZANESVILLE, TAMMY TAMMY

ZANESVILLE, OHIO may be a nice place to live but not a nice town to drive through for our family, because of two experiences.

When I was 17 our family station wagon was traveling 70 mph on route 70 near Zanesville, Ohio when it went out of control. We hit the guard rail, traveled sideways back onto the highway and again returned to the guardrail before we got stopped.  At the time, I was sleeping in the back of the wagon with the suitcases and coolers.  When we first hit the guardrail one cooler went straight up in the air, hit the ceiling and then dumped the contents down on me.  What a way to wake up!  My mom's head was bleeding, but the paramedics checked her, applied bandages and said she didn't need to go to the hospital.

Now my dad had a problem. 

We were 5 hours from home, the car had been towed, and a mom and four kids were looking at him with the expression, "What do we do now?"  Somehow Dad arranged for us to get to a hotel where we devised a plan.  He would put me on a bus to Mechanicsburg, PA and I would get my 1963 Dodge Hemi 4 speed 383 convertible and drive to Zanesville to rescue my family.  I liked this plan and headed home on the Greyhound. 

Except for the accident, this experience was starting to feel good.  The radio and glass pack mufflers were loud and the top was down as I headed west to Ohio on the PA Turnpike. But just before Somerset, PA my clutch started to slip.  Even when I pushed hard on the accelerator the car didn't change speed.  Fortunately I was able to coast off of the Somerset exit, where I put the top up and hitchhiked to a phone booth. 

Now my dad had a problem.   

Even without texting, cell phones or Facebook messaging I somehow managed to connect with my dad at the hotel.  I told him my clutch must have gone out and that I would be stuck in Somerset until I can find a mechanic.  He said he would figure out how to get the family from Zanesville, OH to Somerset, PA.  I finally found a mechanic who fixed the clutch and we all piled in the Dodge and finally made it back to Mechanicsburg. 

Fast forward 20 years. 

Our oldest daughter was a junior at Evangel College in Springfield, MO.  It was December and Tammy Ritchey and her friend Tammy Tiesenga decided to drive home for Christmas.  They waited until after a blizzard had passed through and started the 20 hour drive from Missouri to Pennsylvania.  The roads had been cleared but the interstate highways had 3' snow banks on each side.  Tricky driving, especially when trying to navigate around large trucks.  

About midnight they were traveling 70 mph on route 70 near Zanesville, Ohio. While passing a large semi trailer the car made a noise and began to shake.  They tried to slow down and eventually got stopped, but only after the car was partially buried in the snow bank.  It was impossible to get out of the drivers side and too dangerous to get out of the passenger side.

Now Tammy and Tammy had a problem.

They prayed.   It was less than 5 minutes before a car stopped behind them.  A woman came to the window and showed them a badge, so they would know she was a police officer.  She was off duty and quickly saw that these two college kids needed help.  The front tire was completely blown, so she got a jack and changed the tire.  The girls followed her to the next exit where they got a hotel for the rest of the night and the next morning they headed for Dover, PA.  When they arrived we didn't recognize the car.  Before the trip it was maroon in color, but when they pulled into our driveway the car was completely white from 1000 miles of road salt.  To this day they believe their midnight encounter wasn't with an off duty officer, but an angel. 

Over the years we have gotten calls from family, letting us know when they safely get through Zanesville, Ohio.


(Previous posts that relate to Dad Ritchey. Click HERE. And HERE. And HERE.)