Wind Phone Dedication
On October 24, Transitions LifeCare had a dedication ceremony to officially open the beautiful new landmark in honor of Derek Lemieux. After spending the last few days of his life at TL in the William M. Dunlap Center for Caring (Hospice Home), his family generously dedicated a Wind Phone in his memory for use on our campus. A Wind Phone is an unconnected phone booth that allows one-way conversations. It sits in a perfectly shaded nook towards the back parking lot, overlooking the neighboring farmland and serving as a spot to talk with loved ones who have passed on.
Derek Lemieux
Derek lived a wonderful life, serving nine years in the army and surrounding himself with his beloved family and friends. He won numerous awards for this outstanding service including Expert Marksmanship, Leadership Warrior, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and German Parachutist Badge. He visited over 25 countries while stationed overseas and made sure to always include his family on his travels by sending them drone footage of his adventures. He also loved music, performing in many venues across Europe and gaining thousands of followers throughout his music career. After being diagnosed with glioblastoma, he fought hard but unfortunately passed 126 days after his diagnosis. His memory lives on in the generosity of his beautiful family as they give back and make sure that his story is told and heard. The Wind Phone now will stand on our campus as a reminder of Derek’s life and to allow fellow grievers to stay in spiritual contact with the ones they are missing.
The Wind Phone
The construction of this Wind Phone was made possible by an amazing team of contractors and donors to whom we at TL would like to extend our sincere gratitude. The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company was able to keep the price as low as possible for the family with help from the following companies that donated materials: Jarco Supply, White Cap, Advance Concrete, and Ruppert Landscape. Big shoutout and thank you to every individual and company that not only made Project Derek possible, but also made it memorable, thoughtful, and sentimental to the family and hopefully to those who will use it in the future. Derek left his mark on the world in many more ways than one, and now the Wind Phone can stand as a constant reminder of his life and all the lives he touched along the way.