E-mail this storyMonday, September 15, 2008
During memorial service, community remembers beloved student Deanne Binde
In attendance were (front row) Deanne's parents, Debbie and Dale Binde of Lake Park, Minn.; three of her five sisters, Dawn Rasmussen of Moorhead, Minn., Danette Wichmann of Minneapolis, Minn., and Dixie Binde of Lake Park; and her brother, Daniel Binde, also of Lake Park.
About 300 college classmates, professors, staff and community members attended a campus memorial service on Sept. 12 and shared their memories of Deanne, 21, of Lake Park, Minn., a junior communication and theater major who died on May 22. The service in the Church-Chapel was followed by a program of theater highlights about Deanne in the Umble Center and a dance with "Dee's Favorites" in Newcomer Center.
The memorial service featured a continuous slide show of photographs of Deanne in a variety of settings on and off campus. Friends decorated the chapel's sanctuary with clothing, shoes and hats in the style Deanne preferred — colorful and quirky – including a jacket she was known to frequently wear.
Those who attended the service prayed, learned about Deanne's life, sang her favorite hymns, listened to a woman's choir of her friends and shared stories about her. They also wrote notes about what Deanne meant to them on colorful sheets of paper and painted words on rocks. During a moving "ritual of remembrance," the notes were folded and placed in a tall vase and the rocks were placed at the front of the church.
In attendance were Deanne's parents, Dale and Debbie Binde of Lake Park, Minn.; three of her five sisters, Dawn Rasmussen of Moorhead, Minn., Danette Wichmann of Minneapolis, Minn., and Dixie Binde of Lake Park; and her brother, Daniel Binde, also of Lake Park.
Father Christopher Smith, pastor of St. John's Catholic Church of Goshen, said that in preparing for the service and reflecting on Deanne's life he was reminded of the scripture of John 8:12, in which Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. No follower of mine shall ever walk in darkness."
Of Deanne, Smith said, "She had that light within her that she had to share," he said. "She was a light to so many people."
Friends wrote notes about what Deanne meant to them on colorful sheets of paper and painted words on rocks. During a moving ritual of remembrance, the notes were folded and placed in a tall vase and the rocks were placed at the front of the church.
Angelique Birky, a senior accounting major from Goshen, said she would never forget her best friend. Lupita Zepeda, who works in campus ministry for the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, said she was shocked to learn of the death of one of the leaders of Goshen College's Catholic Student Association. Former roommates and professors recalled Deanne as a hard-working student who often stayed up all night to finish projects, but was always cheerful.
One of the most poignant moments of the service was a tribute to Deanne by Sonny Carreño, the director of the Lavender Jazz Band, and his 6-year old daughter, Genevieve. She was so impressed with Deanne's performance in the fall mainstage play "Step on a Crack" that she saw it three times. "We feel your loss and she will never be forgotten," Carreño said as his daughter handed the Binde family a gift.
Debbie Binde discussed the family's joy at learning how much the Goshen College community cared for Deanne. She also shared her "mission" to praise God for the blessings of her life, including her daughter.
"Deanne's not gone; she's with us," Debbie Binde said. "She's doing what God wants her to do on heaven's side."
At the end of May Term, Deanne died in an automobile crash while driving home to Lake Park, Minn. The Minnesota State Patrol reported that Deanne's car drifted across Interstate Highway 94, struck the center median, overturned and was then struck by two other cars.
A popular and involved student, Deanne played the lead in the fall mainstage play "Step on a Crack" and in the spring she was in the cast of the mainstage play "Absolutely! {perhaps}." During May term, she was the technical director assistant for the musical "Quilters." Deanne also was a DJ for The Globe, played on the softball team, recycled with Eco-PAX, and was a member of the Catholic Student Association. During the spring of her sophomore year, she participated in Study-Service Term (SST) in the Dominican Republic. In the community she volunteered with Meals on Wheels and La Casa, and regularly attended St. John's Catholic Church.
Deanne's death prompted widespread expressions of love and support across campus and the community. There also was an outpouring of love and sorrow expressed on Deanne's online Facebook page, on a separate site set up by classmates and on a campus memorial Web page set up at: www.goshen.edu/deanne-memorial. The tributes have continued.
On May 29, 38 students, faculty and staff attended Deanne's memorial service in Minnesota. Simultaneously, the college community gathered on the Umble Center stage to pray, sing and share memories of Deanne, while SST units in Nicaragua, Perœ and Senegal also paused for prayer.
In an interview before the visit, Deanne's parents expressed deep appreciation to the Goshen College community for its embrace of their daughter. They also said the college helped make Deanne a more loving person.
"She had always been a compassionate person, but it just seemed to explode the last couple of years. I guess it was because she was surrounded by so many compassionate people like her," Debbie Binde said.
"I think her compassion was deepened by Goshen College," Dale Binde added.
Although their daughter died four months ago, the Bindes said they continue to hear from Goshen students whose lives Deanne deeply influenced.
"We knew Deanne was busy and we knew she was always going 100 miles per hour in many directions, but we were not aware how many people she touched," said Debbie Binde. "We're still hearing and feeling so much compassion from people out there. It just doesn't quit. They have poured their love over us."
—Written by Richard R. Aguirre
Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.
###
Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.
