Communities Lay to Rest Victims of Blue Hill Crash

By: Kim Eiten - Email

Updated: Tue 5:01 AM, Sep 11, 2012

59-year-old Marla Wentworth was also laid to rest today in Red Cloud.

10-year-old Caroline Thallman's funeral will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at United Methodist Church in Blue Hill.

18-year-old Dustin Tesdahl's funeral will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Calvary Lutheran Church in Rosemont.

A small town remembers and heals as it comes together to say goodbye.

This is all happening less than a week after the two vehicle crash near Blue Hill that took four lives. Now, two of those victims, 21-year-old Travis Witte and 59-year-old Marla Wentworth, are laid to rest.

Blue Hill community members, friends and classmates describe Travis Witte as outgoing, a good guy, someone who loved to laugh and will be greatly missed. He was one of the two accident victims remembered Monday morning.

Hundreds turned out for his funeral.

"I think there's probably the biggest part of 600 people here," Blue Hill resident Charles Hewitt said.

That's a big portion of a small town with a population of less than 900 people. It's something residents say is characteristic of their community.

"This is a good community," Hewitt said. He said it's about coming together to grieve.

"The community here, after crashes and stuff like that, they always come together," Hewitt said. "They help everybody, especially the people who are hurt the most." He's among those helping. Hewitt knows the Witte family and knew of Travis but didn't go to the funeral Monday.

"I didn't want to take a seat from one of the people, from any of the family," he said.

Its an example of neighbors helping neighbors, something he said is part of living in Blue Hill.

Now, it's about healing.

"Learning to live with it, it's going to be hard," Hewitt said. "I've been there and done that. It's pretty hard."

It's no easy task after the tragic accident that took four of their own. But, Hewitt said, they'll do what they always do: lean on one another, remember and go forward together.

"You just move on the best you can," he said. "That's all you can do."