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It was a family trip in July 1977. A two-family trip, really, a chance for the Limones of Paterson and the Shawahs of Lincoln Park to get to know each other and plan for their children's upcoming wedding ceremony.
Eight people from both families piled into the van that day, for the drive to Cape Cod. The only two not going were the soon-to-be-married couple, Rose Lynn Limone and Gary Shawah, who were staying behind to tend to Limone's father's Teaneck fruit and vegetable stand.
They got the call as they were picking up some corn in Old Tappan, Gary Shawah recalled.
In Massachusetts, about 20 minutes away from their final destination, the van had been hit head-on by a drunk driver. Shawah's 17-year-old sister Susan and a 9-year-old family friend, Jill Dauria, died at the scene. Limone's father Anthony, 49, died two weeks later from injuries sustained in the accident.
Limone and Shawah married in October 1977. Eventually, they moved to Pompton Plains and raised two children. But the loss from that day over 30 years ago has always stayed with them. Rose Lynn Shawah became active in the Bergen County organization End DWI. Shawah became active in the local Pequannock Rotary Club.
When he became club president, Shawah decided he would like, as a community service project, to erect a monument to victims of drunk driving connected to Morris County. With his Rotary Club behind him, he approached the mayor of his old hometown of Lincoln Park for a space where it could sit -- in front of the brand new municipal complex.
"I thought it was a good idea," said Mayor David Runfeldt. "It's a good way to remember people. ... All too often, everybody thinks about (the effects of drunk driving) when it happens, and then if it doesn't happen to you, you kind of forget it."
Shawah made a presentation before the council members, and they approved the venture. He also struck an agreement with the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, which will work with the Rotary to add names in the future.
Prosecutor Robert Bianchi called the memorial "a beautiful concept. To pay tribute to the innocent citizens of this county and their families who have fallen prey to the evils of drunk driving is not only befitting, but also brings attention to this senseless epidemic. I am thankful that the Pequannock Rotary Club included the Morris County Prosecutor's Office in this worthy endeavor."
The memorial will be formally dedicated in a ceremony next weekend, and the first names to grace it will be the victims of that day in 1977, a day that started with the anticipation of a new beginning and ended so sadly. Shawah's family, including his parents, will be on hand.
He says he can't explain what the loss has been like. He's hoping the memorial will bring awareness, as well as give families a place to mourn. "It's going to help people," he said. "It's going to do everything good."
Every year, he said, he expects names will be added to the memorial. Unfortunately, he said, "The list never goes down," he said. "It always goes up.
Next Sunday's dedication ceremony is open to the public, and will run from 1 to 3 p.m. in front of the Lincoln Park municipal building.
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