TWENTY-NINE

Thoughts and Prayers

The first Sunday after the news broke about the discovery of Tina’s, Kody’s and Stephanie’s bodies was like no other in living memory in Mount Vernon. All the local churches addressed the news in one manner or another.

At the Trinity Worship Center, which Sarah Maynard had attended with a friend only weeks before the crimes, Reverend Donald Matolyak told a reporter before the service, “What do you say to people, in the midst of what’s perhaps the most terrible evil that’s been perpetrated in this community? I want to present a picture of hope.”

During his address to the congregation, Reverend Matolyak declared that Matthew Hoffman was just one person, and they did not have to live in fear. He pointed out how the community had embraced the victims while they were still “missing” and volunteered in droves to find them. “Into the darkness we shine. Out of the ashes we rise.” Matolyak even asked the congregation to pray for the “forgotten victims”—Matthew Hoffman’s family members—reminding people that they were not part of what Hoffman had done.

Brenda Renshaw, who was a member of the church and knew Sarah, related, “For young people, we want them to believe that God loves all of us, even if that’s hard to believe at a time like this. It’s going to take a long while, but it’s going to get back to where we feel normal like before.”

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Late on Monday, November 22, a fire was reported on the deck of the house on King Beach Drive where Tina, Kody and Stephanie had been killed. A fire crew was sent and they easily put out the fire, but just who was responsible for starting it or why it had been set was not apparent. Some people in the community thought that it was a message to Greg Borders not to move back into the house. Others thought that someone wanted the house to burn down to erase the memory of what had happened there.

The next day, November 23, an investigation into the fire was begun. On that same day, Matthew Hoffman and his attorneys waived the scheduled court hearing. And the families of Tina Herrmann, Kody Maynard and Stephanie Sprang were receiving friends and family at public visitations, with private funerals to follow the next day.

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That Tuesday at Flowers-Snyder Funeral Home up in Mount Vernon, people were saying good-bye to Stephanie Sprang. Stephanie’s mother, Pat Cullins, had written a statement to the community at large. It read, “I want to thank everyone who has been supporting our family at this time of crisis. It makes you realize how many caring people there are in such a wicked world. It makes me proud to say I live in Mount Vernon because the community support has amazed me.

“I wish I could thank everyone personally, but I just know I am talking to each one of you when I express my deepest thanks to each of you. I know that Stephanie thanks you all. I want to also thank the Sheriff, FBI and all Law Enforcement who worked long and hard to find my daughter, at times with little sleep. You have my sincere thanks.”

Cars were parked for blocks around the funeral home. Inside, a photo montage documenting Stephanie’s forty-one-year life was projected on a screen, the photos fading in and out. There were photos of Stephanie as a young girl—as a toddler in a winter coat, a little girl in a frilly dress, a teenager nearing high school graduation—and later photos, depicting her in a long white wedding gown, or with family members around a Christmas tree. There was also a large memorial photo of Stephanie, with her portrait on the right side of the frame, and a lighthouse on an oceanside cliff on the left. Below it were the words, “In Loving Memory Stephanie L. Sprang. Born on Saturday, November 1, 1969. Died on Wednesday, November 10, 2010.”

A poem titled “Tomorrow” was printed on handouts distributed during the visiting hours. The poem expressed that when a person woke up in the mornings and began crying, Stephanie wished that the person wouldn’t do so. She wanted to let the person know that she knew they loved her, and she loved them as well. She also wanted them to know that whenever that person thought of her, she wasn’t far away at all, but right there in their heart.

Sheriff David Barber paid his respects and attended the memorial service, as did many friends and members of the community, including Randall Alcie, who knew Stephanie from frequent karaoke nights. Randall told a reporter that Stephanie was a good singer who especially liked rock and party songs, and that “she was always smiling. Always having a good time. I never saw her down. She was a character, a real character. Full of life and enjoyed living.”

Another person who attended the memorial said, “She was a beautiful person inside and out. It’s unreal that somebody could do something like this to her, to a family. A whole community is hurting and pulling together.”

Other friends showed up from the golf course where Stephanie had once worked. Shannon Beheler, who had been one of Stephanie’s golfing partners, said, “Her laugh was unmistakable. Just loud and always full of joy. You always knew what hole she was on because you could hear that laugh.”

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Also on Tuesday, November 23, 2010, public visiting hours were held for Tina Herrmann and Kody Maynard at the Peace Lutheran Church in Gahanna, about forty miles from Apple Valley. Lines of mourners entered the sanctuary. Incredibly, Sarah Maynard was there, surrounded by family, greeting one person after another, including Sheriff David Barber. As the Mount Vernon News noted, “No child should have to say goodbye to her mother and her brother in the same day. But that’s what Sarah did, just nine days after she was freed and brought home to other family members.”

A longtime friend related later about the Herrmann and Maynard families, “They’re surrounded by family and they’re doing the best that they can. I’m sure tomorrow at the funeral it’s going to be a lot worse, but they’re keeping their heads up.”

Larry recalled, “I was in a daze most of the time. It didn’t seem real. It was like this was all a bad dream and I’d wake up at some later time. All I could think about was Kody and Tina.”

In a written statement at the memorial, Larry expressed, “We wish to take a moment to thank the nation for the outpouring of love, prayers and support that you all continue to provide. To the residents of Knox County who grieve with us as well, we would like to share that all of you who were touched by this tragedy, whether directly or indirectly, are in our hearts and prayers.”

There was also soon a statement to the media: “Tina Rose Herrmann, age 32, and Kody Alexander Maynard, age 11, were unfortunately taken away from us on Wednesday, November 10, 2010. Tina was a courageous and energetic woman whose greatest joy in life was being a mother. She worked at Dairy Queen in Mount Vernon and had the ability to connect with some of the simpler things in life, like blooming sunflowers or her dolphin collection. Her beloved son, Kody, a gentle child with an enormous heart, was a 5th grader at East Knox School. He enjoyed all sports, especially baseball.

“Tina and Kody will be missed by many loving friends and family,” the statement continued, giving a long list of family members and friends and then ending with: “In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made at any Fifth Third Bank to the Sarah Maynard Benefit Fund. The Herrmann and Maynard families would like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to all those in the community who reached out in love and concern during this very difficult time.”

Despite the request for no flowers, there were mounds of blooms at the visitation; the two closed caskets were surrounded by them. Friends walked out of the church with sunflowers, Tina’s favorite flower, and paper baseballs inscribed with Kody’s name, birth date and death date. Well-wishers could write their thoughts directly onto the baseballs.

Dee Hall, whose grandson had attended school with Kody, said, “It’s part of the healing process for this community. We don’t experience stuff like this every day here. I’d like to believe that something this horrific has brought the community closer together.”

Valerie Haythorn, the Dairy Queen manager where Tina had worked, and who had been the first person not only to report Tina missing but also to see the interior of the house and call the police, closed the restaurant for the day so that all employees could go to Gahana for the visiting hours.

Eleven-year-old Keisha whose mother was a coworker of Tina’s, told a reporter, “I wrote [on the baseball], ‘We miss you, and will always miss you.’” And Keisha’s mother, Teresa said, “When I pull in to work, I expect to find [Tina’s] truck there. She was a joker and full of life. Sarah was being very, very strong. I couldn’t imagine being that strong. She would flick rubber bands at work and sing ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane.’ It’s like a really bad nightmare that I haven’t woken up from. We don’t understand why something like this happened. It just doesn’t make sense.”

Friends also signed an online guestbook in remembrance of Tina and Kody. One person wrote, “As the holidays approach, I will keep you Sarah, and your dad Larry in my thoughts and prayers. Just remember that your mom and brother will be with you always when you look up in the sky.”

Another person wrote, “Just sending you love and support in this very difficult time. I am forever changed and want you to know that you will be in my thoughts and prayers for the rest of my life.”

All around Apple Valley, purple ribbons hung from mailboxes and light posts. At the home where Tina and the kids had lived on King Beach Drive, the memorial around the tree in the front yard kept growing and growing. It contained purple balloons, white crosses, stuffed animals, candles and a wind chime. A handwritten note on the tree proclaimed, “Watch over the Maynard Family.”