the wind, then he saw a
piece of barn roof fly across
the field.
He looked outside and
saw solid black clouds
within 100 yards of him.
He and his wife picked up
the kids and headed for the
summer kitchen, where
their basement entrance was
located. By the time they
reached the kitchen, the
windows of their home were
sucked out.
By the time they got down
the stairway their house was
going.
Birky’s family was safe,
but had lost everything.
Doris found a dress in the
rubble to put on and Ivan
had to find a pair of shoes
for himself. They didn’t
match, Birky pointed out.
“Then we started walk-
ing,” he said. “We didn’t
realize it at the time how bad
we looked.”
A police flasher at Ind. 5
and U.S. 20 was their guid-
ing light.
The first car to come by
were some of Doris’ rela-
tives and they didn’t even
recognize the family.
Birky was thankful for
those who were able to help
them, especially Mabel
Mishler’s family. Mabel had
died and her family suggest-
ed that the Birkys move into
her house since they were
homeless. Paul Mishler gave
Ivan a jacket and another
neighbor gave them a baby
bottle to feed their infant.
‘There’s a tornado
coming ...”
Maurice and Cecelia Ber-
key were at home. Four of
their children were playing
outside and one was inside
watching TV. The boy who
was watching TV yelled,
“Dad! There’s a tornado
coming our way.”
The Berkeys got all of
their children into the base-
ment and Maurice pulled
a wooden ping pong table
over them. Maurice saw the
tornado coming. He watched
it take JimMiller’s home and
barns. He said the tornado
picked up the buildings and
then discarded them.
When the Berkeys came
up from the basement, they
saw a wasteland before
them.
“It looked like pictures of
a war zone,” Maurice said.
“There was nothing there. It
was flat.”
Then another warning
came. Another person
yelled, “There’s another
tornado on the way!”
There was indeed another
tornado but it went farther
north.
Coming home to disaster
Truman Miller had been
in South Bend eating lunch
with his wife, Joyce, and
had not heard about the
tornadoes. They were com-
ing back when suddenly
they saw ambulances and
police cars coming through
Elkhart. The couple fol-
lowed, wondering what had
happened.
When they started seeing
damage, the couple decided
to head toward home in
Shipshewana.
When they arrived back
around Ind. 5 and U.S. 20.
The homes that had been
there were gone. And so was
much of Shore Mennonite
Church, which Truman was
helping to remodel.
“Truman built our church,
Shore, a couple of times,”
Ivan Birky quipped.
The couple, who had a
daughter at home, wondered
if their place had suffered
the same fate. But they soon
learned their daughter was
safe. She had heard the
tornadoes were coming and
got into the basement.
Truman stopped by his
hardware store and handed
out supplies to rescuers. He
then went to Shore.
Truman said his parents
were only slightly injured
but spent the night in the
hospital.
Once everyone was found,
the survivors had to arrange
funerals, say goodbye and
then find a way to continue
even though the tornadoes
had taken everything. That
is where the community re-
ally helped.
Mass funeral
Richard Miller, funeral
director and owner of Miller
Funeral Home in Middle-
bury, met with the families
and decided that since eight
of them went to the same
church a mass funeral would
take place. The families
agreed.
The Thursday after the
tornadoes in the Shipshewa-
na school gym, eight caskets
were placed at the front.
Family packed all levels of
the gym to say goodbye.
Twelve people sang at the
funeral, with a song dedicat-
ed to each person who died.
“Nobody cried,” Ivan
Birky recalled.
Mishler explained that
by the day of the funeral,
everyone was cried out.
After the funerals, the
clean up continued and re-
building of Shore Mennonite
began.
“I thought it brought the
community together,” Birky
said.
Before the tornadoes,
the churches didn’t really
participate together.
“We didn’t do anything
with the Methodists,” Birky
said. “Or the Amish.”
“We do now,” Mishler
said.
It’s this sense of commu-
nity that the survivors of the
Palm Sunday tornadoes say
they hope to pass down to
younger generations. That’s
why on April 25, a special
program on the Palm Sun-
day tornadoes will take place
so those experiences can be
shared.
“We can’t lose this his-
tory,” Al Yoder said, “of what
happened.”
Courtyard Healthcare Center was founded on the belief that caring
for the sick, elderly, and infirm is a special and sacred stewardship.
It is our mission to have this belief reflected in everything we do:
In the presentation of our facility, on the professionalism of our
staff, and the daily delivery of care and compassion to our residents
and their families. It is our purpose that whoever enters our facility
will be met with kindness, competence, and compassion. Courtyard
looks at itself as “family taking care of family”.
213
YEARS OF
EXPERIENCE!
2400 College Ave
Goshen, IN 46528
574.533.0351
THANK YOU!
NATIONAL
NURSES WEEK
MAY 6th - 13th
Free
Estimates
574-862-4365 • Toll Free 800-508-3595
• 25772 CR 40 (2¼ mi. East of SR 19) • GOSHEN
MANY DESIGN
STYLES AVAILABLE
WIDE VARIETY OF COLORS
AND PANEL CHOICES
Specializing in Steel Roofing &Trim Fabrication Since 1981
• Post Frame Building • Residential & Commercial Roofing
Quality Steel Roofing at Affordable Prices
Metal has a very long life
- is maintenance free
- will not burn
- is lightweight and very strong
- Green Product (recyclable)
- Lower Energy Costs
P
alm
S
unday
T
ornadoes
| 50
th
A
nniversary
26
| Saturday, April 11, 2015 The Goshen News
Shore
Continued from page 10
