Loved ones remember Ronald and Tamara Stutzman

The Stutzmans were two of three casualties who died Dec. 30 in a head-on collision outside of Heppner. The third was Kellie Nelson, a volunteer firefighter. While moving to Heppner to help care for Brannon’s children, the Stutzmans found many others to care for.

Brannon hailed her grandparents as being the adopted grandmother of all of the children in Heppner, saying everyone became their grandchild within five minutes of meeting the couple.

Brannon runs five businesses in Heppner. One is Breaking Grounds Coffee, in Murray’s Drug, where Ronald Stutzman worked as a delivery driver.

“He was just very positive, and always faith filled,” said Ann Murray, who owns Murray’s Drug and employed Ronald Stutzman. “And family was always very important to the both of them.”

Brannon recalled when the Stutzmans first became a part of the community three years prior.

“They really fell in love with Heppner and our sense of community,” she said. “It reminded them of life in the ‘50s, but only the good parts, like a close-knit community.”

The people of Heppner, which the couple had then come to love, have now come together in support of the families left behind in the wake of the December crash. Nelson and the Stutzman’s family and friends have witnessed the generosity of a small town.

“The most overwhelming and positive thing to come out of this situation is the amount of love and the amount of kindness,” Brannon said.

“I’m not just talking money. People took care of my businesses for me so I could mourn. My employees were bombarded with love from the community to support them, we were given food, bills were paid without us even knowing. It’s why we moved here, it’s that sense that they were basically all of Heppner’s grandma and grandpa.”

Brannon continued by saying that the community has responded like they had lost their own grandparents or that their own daughter had passed away, all in how they’ve reacted to the loss of Nelson and the Stutzmans.

Murray concurred, saying the couple was so loved. She highlighted the couple’s funeral in Silverton, noting how hundreds of people attended to pay their respects.

“The community just wrapped their arms around our families and said it’s going to be OK and we’re going to get through this together,” Brannon said.

“We’re so blessed with the amount of support and that so many people loved Kellie and my grandma and grandpa.”

With the absence of three significant members of the Heppner community, residents have come to support those mourning their losses. With a community feeling as if it had lost its own grandparents or daughter, Brannon said the unified response of Heppner serves as an example of the very thing that enamored Ronald and Tamara Stutzman.