Quake Memories : Indelible Images of Sudden Upheaval : Deaths Are an Endless Void in Survivors’ Lives

This was a day that I wish I could erase from my mind, but the tragedy I experienced will stay with me for the rest of my life. When the earth started shaking, I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I just wanted it to stop.

I was at my parents’ house and my brother Dave called to let us know he was OK, but we were also waiting to hear from my brother Marc. When daylight finally came, there was still no word from Marc. Dave called my dad and told him that he had heard on the radio that a house on Sherwood Place (the street Marc lived on) had collapsed.

Dave decided to check on Marc, and my dad and I decided to drive there also. As we turned onto Witzel Drive, what I saw will stay etched in my mind until the day I die. We looked up the hill and saw only an empty space where Marc’s house should have been.

Dad and I instantly began to cry. I kept hoping once we got to Marc’s house that Marc and Karen (Osterholt) would be among the many neighbors gathered there, but when we got out of the car, Marc and Karen were not there.

I remember so vividly that all I wanted was to see Marc and give him a big hug and kiss. As I stood at the foot of the driveway, I was in disbelief because all of the family had been at Marc’s house on Saturday night for a birthday celebration. . . .

There are no words that can ever describe what my family and I have experienced and will continue to experience for the rest of our lives. There is an endless void in our lives, as well as the lives of many people whom Marc and Karen had touched in their short lifetime.

AMY YOBS

West Hills