Tragedy burrows itself deep in the folds of your mind, but a scent, or a scene or a string of words evokes its memory and against your will you relive the tragic past.

In Mike Granata’s case, he noticed the kiddie-car his stepdaughter, Bailey Bowman, used to beg to ride. He was standing in the check-out line at a discount store when he saw the car and was overcome by emotion. He left his items on the counter and left the store.

It has been one year since the June 5 tornado devastated Lake Township and parts of Ottawa County, but Mike still hears his daughter’s screams.

“People who lost their homes can rebuild as long as they have each other,” Mike says. “But, when you lose a daughter it’s a horrific thing. It changes your life forever. You never get over it. It just gets easier to deal with.”

Mike watched his daughter grow up from a feisty little girl who at age three asked him to take her training wheels off her bike to a young lady who asked him to attend a father-daughter dance. He was there for her first date, her first prom and when she gave birth to a son. He was there that fateful night Bailey called him when she and her boyfriend, Gerald Lathrop, were debating which relative’s house to go to for shelter. They were driving through the rain and a wind so strong it sucked up and blew apart electrical transformers.

“I was with her on the phone. I helped her through that too. The only thing I could do was be with her and tell her everything would be okay. I had to deal with the horrible, tormenting screams she went through. Those screams were just hideous….” He paused, took a moment to compose himself and added, “I couldn’t tell her which way to turn.”

The young couple headed for Gerald’s parent’s house in Lake Township. They made it as far as SR 795 and Cummings Road.

“When they pulled into the police station I could hear her screaming like she wasn’t going to come home,” Mike recalls. “I screamed I loved her and she just screamed. Then, I heard the door open and a big crushing noise.”

Bailey Bowman died at age 20. She was one of seven who lost their lives.

For MaryAnn Wittman, a cook at Glenwood Elementary School, the frightened look on the faces of students during a recent tornado drill brought back that horrific night she nearly lost her home.

“When it rains really hard and the wind starts blowing and you throw in the thunder and the lightning, then I get panicky…It comes back real easy. It just brings you back to that night and walking outside and seeing such devastation,” she said.

MaryAnn was alone at her home on Main Street in Millbury when the tornado hit. She had just made it to the second step in her basement when her walls shook and she heard the wind as loud as a freight train. When she emerged, she could see daylight through her garage wall. When she walked outside, she saw her neighbor’s house had been blown from its foundation. It was nowhere in sight. She saw the same devastation across the street. She helped her neighbors climb out of their basement, safe but homeless.

MaryAnn thought she and her husband William were the lucky ones that night. Their home was still standing, but now she’s not so sure. Her neighbor has a new home, while the Wittmans are still working with their insurance company. MaryAnn says she has a new roof, siding and windows, but a dispute with the insurance company led her to hire a forensic engineer to assess cracks in the basement wall, cracks in the drywall and twisted joists.

“We just want it back the way it was. We want it to be safe and resellable…And, I just want to get back to normal life.”

Life has returned to normal for another family on Main Street. Dave and Marie Dunaway emerged from the basement in their tri-level to see the same sight the Wittmans did.

The Dunaways credit their cat for warning them bad weather was upon them. The cat, Jasmine, ran for cover just before the Dunaways heard the tornado and ran for the basement.

Today, Dave is satisfied with his $78,000 insurance settlement. He has a new roof, siding, carpeting, five new ceilings and new paint.

He also has something else. He knows his neighbors better.

“We knew our neighbors by face, but now we know them by name. There is no question that all of us have shared in the tragedy. It has drawn us together. I suppose we look out for each other more than we ever had.”

Dave saw evidence of that concern this past Sunday during a tornado warning for Lucas and Ottawa Counties. It was one of those spring days when the sun was shining and there was yard work to do.

“One neighbor, who had lost his home across the street, walked around to each neighbor and made sure we knew what was going on because we were all out in the yards mowing grass and planting gardens. No one was in the house paying attention.”

For Dave, the noise that accompanies a strong wind puts him on edge. The couple recently slept downstairs during a storm after watching Jasmine crawl across the floor looking for a place to hide.

“Up until last year, I would have been up walking around looking out the window seeing if I could see the storm,” he said. “Nature has always amazed me. It’s not something man can conquer or control. Now, I head for cover.”

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