Prayer Garden Dedication In Upper Makefield Forges Path To Healing

UPPER MAKEFIELD, PA — The community gathered on a hillside at the Crossing Church Monday evening to dedicate a community prayer garden and to remember, reflect, and to give thanks for the seven lives lost a year ago in a tragic flash flood.

In an instant, the lives of five families were forever changed and so was the community of Upper Makefield which came to their aid after flooding from a severe storm caught motorists by surprise along a stretch of Route 532.

Rapidly rising flood waters trapped vehicles while occupants trying to escape were swept away as a wall of debris-filled water rushed down Houghs Creek at speeds up to 30 mph.

“It was a year ago today that we experienced the most rarest and significant flash floods that we can remember. And in the destruction of that flood we lost seven precious lives,” said Lead Pastor George Matthew Clash, who led the gathering in words and prayers as he remembered Susan Barnhart of Titusville, Yuko Love of Newtown, Enzo and Linda DePiero of Newtown, and Katie Seley, Mattie Sheils and Conrad Sheils, all of South Carolina.

The Washington Crossing Branch of the U.S. Postal Service will be renamed in memory of Susan Barnhart, who worked at the branch before she was killed in the July 2023 flash flood.

“Tonight we remember them. We say their names knowing that they are not forgotten. Tonight we remember the light that they were, the love that they gave, and the impact that they had,” said Pastor Clash.

“We were all very much impacted by what took place in our community last year," Pastor Clash continued. "So many of us are still grieving. The rarity of that tragedy has brought us closer together than we could ever imagine. We learned that we need each other and that we’re better together than we are apart.”

Recognized during the ceremony were, from left, Battalion Chief Dave Wise representing the Upper Makefield Fire Company; Officer Harry Vitello representing the Upper Makefield Police Department; and Supervisor Tom Cino, representing the Upper Makefield Board of Supervisors.

To honor the memory of the seven who died, Pastor Clash announced the dedication of a community prayer garden on the church property, one of two special places in the township that will honor the seven lives. The other is a Butterfly Garden being planned by the township at Brownsburg Park. He also thanked Baumley Nursery & Landscaping for donating three trees that will be a part of the garden area.

The gathering also heard from several family members who spoke about their loved ones, thanked the area's first responders for their bravery and the community for its support both on that tragic day and in the days, weeks, and months that followed.

Zack DePiero who lost his parents, Linda and Enzo DePiero, in the flood, told the gathering that at his parent's house in Newtown next to the front door he wrote a note to himself: ‘Be thankful for what you had and what you continue to have.’ I wanted to see that every time I walk into their house and every time I leave their house. I think about that every day and it helps.”

DePiero offered his condolences to the others who died. "We think about you every single day and I imagine that we always will,” he said.

He also expressed gratitude to the church, the community, and to Saint Andrew Church in Newtown. “You’ve been so wonderful and caring to us. This took us down to our knees and you helped us get back up,” he said.

Zack DePiero shares words with Upper Makefield Fire Company Safety Officer Kevin Campbell.

David Love, who lost his wife, Yuko, when the flood waters overtook their car, spoke eloquently about his wife both in Japanese and in English.

"Yuko was both beautiful and very intelligent. She was clearly superior to me in both respects," he said. "Yuko greatly enriched my life. I am now much poorer without her. Yuko, I love you," he said. "Yuko, I miss you. I am sorry that I did not protect you. Thank you, everyone, for all the help you have provided," he said.

Pastor Clash with David Love following the service.

Paul Sheils, who lost his two grandchildren and his daughter-in-law in the flood, expressed his thanks to the community for organizing the memorial service and the first responders for their heroic efforts during the flood and their exhaustive search for the missing children in the weeks following the flood.

"We lost three of the seven victims - two of our adorable grandchildren - 2-year-old Mattie and 9-month-old Conrad - and their beautiful vibrant mother, Katie. I suspect none of us will ever fully understand or forget the unfathomable tragedy that struck our family and the other families last summer. I know I won’t," said Sheils, whose son, Jim, and grandson, Jack, survived the flood.

Paul Sheils following Monday night's memorial service.

"However, the remarkable outpouring of support, prayers and well wishes from around the country and around the world and especially from this caring and compassionate Upper Makefield community has greatly helped our family better bear this unbearable sorrow," he said.

Sheils thanked the church for offering its facility as the initial command center and for holding "a spiritually moving vigil" service while the frantic search for Mattie and Conrad was ongoing.

"They also held a fundraising event for little Jack and now one year later hosting this beautiful memorial service," Sheils continued. "This lovely and ongoing litany of acts of ongoing mercy powerfully demonstrates your commitment to this remarkable church’s mission of hosting the presence of God," he told the pastor.

Sheils also expressed thanks to the many first responders and rescue teams from Upper
Makefield, Newtown Township and surrounding jurisdictions "for not only reacting so quickly and bravely to the many people caught in that flash flood that night but also conducting the most grueling and stressful weeks in a relentless and exhaustive search to find our precious Mattie and Conrad. No stone was unturned in the search for Mattie and Conrad.

"But what affected me most about this extraordinary rescue team was their deep emotional involvement," said Sheils. "This was not just another day at the office for these brave men and women. Many had tears in their eyes when we thanked them. Newtown Township Police Chief John Hearn told me why. John said, without hesitation, that they were all treating the search as if they were looking for their own children. And believe me, it showed.

"In our view, these men are heroes and members of our family," said Sheils.

In the wake of the flood, Sheils added that the Upper Makefield Supervisors had authorized the purchase of two new powerful rescue vehicles - a high-water rescue vehicle and a UTV - so it can be better be equipped to handle situations like the July 2023 flood.

"In a remarkable gesture, the fire company will christen and name the vehicles Mattie and Conrad," Sheils revealed at the service. "So if you see the Mattie and Conrad rescue vehicles in action someday, know that Mattie and Conrad are both present and assisting in that rescue.”

After hearing from the family members, Pastor Clash concluded the evening by presenting certificates of heroism to the Upper Makefield Fire Company, the Upper Makefield Police Department, and to the Upper Makefield Board of Supervisors for their response to the tragedy.