Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PROVO — Not long after Provo's Rock Canyon Elementary celebrated the last day of classes, the school suffered a terrible loss. Now, the community is healing through a unique project to pay tribute to a well-known family that died in a plane crash this summer.
Rock Canyon principal Dean Nielsen is excited about the new school that will replace the existing 53-year-old building next August. "It's going to be great," he said.
But Nielsen will miss his dear friend, Amy Openshaw. She was a champion of education who spent almost every school day volunteering at Rock Canyon. "She felt like she could really make a difference and help not just her own children, but all of the kids," he said.
In June, Amy, her husband Mark and two of their children, 15-year-old Tanner and 12-year-old Ellie, died when their small plane crashed on take-off from a grass airstrip in Missouri.
"They meant so much and not just to me, but to the whole community," said Michelle Kaufusi, a family friend and a member of the Provo School Board.
It is a community the Openshaws have been a part of for years. They sent four of their five children to Rock Canyon. Max, the only survivor of the plane crash, will start kindergarten at the school this month.
"They were so involved and hands-on in all of their children's education, and it was a priority for them," said Charlie Openshaw, Mark's brother.
Now, as ground is cleared for the new school, plans for the Openshaw Family Memorial Playground are also taking shape. Nielsen said, "We'll plant trees, put benches out and have lots of playground equipment for kids for many years to come."
The playground is a labor of love for Nielsen and Openshaw family friends, Michelle Kaufusi and Mary Rencher. They hope to raise $100,000 for the playground because, as Nielsen pointed out, "Playgrounds nowadays are not cheap at all."
"We didn't want something that was just going to be on the wall for five years and then disappear. We wanted to go bigger than that," Kaufusi said.
Bigger, because the family cared so much about learning. Mark was a member of the Utah State School Board and Amy was a former PTA president and volunteer of the year at Rock Canyon.
"(Mark and Amy) would certainly be honored by the playground project. There's no question," Charlie Openshaw said.
We didn't want something that was just going to be on the wall for five years and then disappear. We wanted to go bigger than that.
–Michelle Kaufusi, family friend
The family might even be surprised and humbled by the hundreds of people who have already gone on Facebook to "like" the project.
Rencher believes the project is a perfect tribute to the Openshaws. "It is fitting to say, 'Come enjoy your family and play, volunteer at the school, be active in your community.' It's the perfect legacy for the Openshaw family."
Over the years, the Openshaws quietly made a strong statement about the importance of education and service. Charlie Openshaw says his brother and sister-in-law were "always striving to better their own lives through educational pursuits and achievement of goals."
Now, the community's goal will be to keep that message alive for generations. "Nothing will make Amy more happy than to see the community engaged and playing on a playground under shade trees and having fun and enjoying family time," Kaufusi said.
"We're going to have a great school that will be built here and hopefully the playground will be a nice memory for a great family as well," Nielsen said.
The Openshaws two oldest sons were not in the plane that crashed. One is serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the other will be a senior at Timpview High School. Anyone interested in supporting* the playground project can go to a branch of the Rock Canyon bank to donate or check out the group's Facebook page at facebook.com/openshawfamilymemorialplayground.
Contributing:
---
*KSL.com does not assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
