Audrey Gomez
A couple of major fund-raisers kept Sweet Home well-fed last week, while helping the families of two men involved in a crash on Jan. 21.
All Star Pizza held a fund-raiser on Thursday, Jan. 28, donating 100 percent of the proceeds to Neil Nightingale, 39, and Robert Gene Mayfield, 54, and their families.
Nightingale and Mayfield were involved in a head-on collision on Highway 20 near Bauman’s Mill. Nightingale died the morning of Jan. 29. Mayfield has had several surgeries, and has another facial surgery scheduled for next week.
All Star owner Brad Newport has known Tami Nightingale, Neil’s widow, for close to 30 years.
That fund-raiser raised $10,000 in sales, plus cash donations.
The pizzeria was packed, and Newport was glad to have the help of volunteers, he said, including Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District staffers, to help make pizzas and get the orders out.
There were about 20 to 25 volunteers who helped out throughout the day, Newport said.
“Without all the volunteers, there’s no way we could have made all the pizzas,” Newport said.
SHFAD staff did some juggling with their usual duties.
“When they’d get a call, they would take off and come back,” Newport said.
The fund-raiser was so successful, All Star had to stop taking orders around 3 p.m. because they ran out of dough.
“I had a customer contact me at 3 p.m. about a pizza,” said Andrew “Keebler” Allen, owner of Two Dam Bagels and Bread Co. “They said that they’d contacted All Star and All Star said they were turning people away because they basically we were sold out.”
Two Dam Bagels usually closes at 7 p.m., but Allen had planned to close at 3 p.m. to not take away from the All Star fund-raiser and to use that time to do some maintenance, he said.
When All Star ran out of dough, Allen decided to reopen his shop and give 50 percent of the sales to the Nightingale and Mayfield funds.
They were able to add $125 to the donation.
The fund-raising continued on Saturday with Little Promises’ spaghetti feed and silent auction.
“There was definitely a sadness due to Neil’s passing, but there was also an energy you could feel, people excited and happy to help these families,” said Cassie Richey, one of organizers of the Little Promises fund-raiser.
Through the spaghetti feed and auction, they raised $12,426.
“We estimate that we served over 500 people,” Richey said. “We had over 130 auction items donated.”
About 20 volunteers helped out, but that number is not exact because more people lent a hand throughout the event.
“Some people, who had just come to eat, jumped in and started helping with serving and clean up,” Richey said. “Sunshine Industries came up with some of their clients to help clear tables, keep garbage (cans) empty. They were great!
“I was overwhelmed, in a good way, with all the help offered. It was heartwarming to see our community, people from all areas of our community, come together for these two families.”
Family members of both men expressed their gratitude.
Nightingale’s family is thankful to their friends and the community for the tremendous outpouring of love, support and prayers.
Julie and Gene Mayfield posted a comment to the event page for the spaghetti feed.
“Words seem so very insignificant in expressing our deepest heartfelt gratitude to every single person that participated and attended this amazing event,” the Mayfields wrote.
Buzz’d Espresso also said they would donate $1 for every drink sold on Jan. 30.
Owner Patty Miller said Monday she didn’t have an exact figure for the amount raised, but she said the money was added to the donation jar at Little Promises.
“I just really appreciate and am proud of local support for events that happened last week – the spaghetti feed and the All Star Pizza (fund-raisers),” Newport said.
Crash investigation continues
Oregon State Police told The New Era on Monday, Feb. 1, that the crash is still being investigated.
On Jan. 29, police were still conducting interviews, said Lt. Cari Boyd.
As more information is released, The New Era will post updates at sweethomenews.com.
The initial police report included the following information:
Just before 7 a.m., Robert Mayfield was driving a Papé machinery repair truck westbound on Highway 20 when his vehicle crossed from its lane of travel to the center turn lane.
Mayfield’s truck continued into the eastbound lane where it collided head-on into a 2011 Kenworth log truck, operated by Nightingale.
A 2003 Subaru Legacy, operated by David Briggs, 59, of Lebanon, was also eastbound and collided with the log truck after the initial crash occurred.
Briggs did not sustain any injuries, according to police.
Mayfield was transported by Life Flight Emergency Air Ambulance to Salem Hospital and was later transferred to OHSU in Portland.
Nightingale was transported by REACH Air Ambulance to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis. He died at 10:10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 29. He left behind his wife, Tami (Brown) Nightingale, a 6-year-old son, Ryder Allen Nightingale and a stepdaughter, Alyssa Logan-Orr, 24.
His family said in a statement Monday that he would be missed “beyond words.”
“Neil was a wonderful daddy to Rye, best friend, husband and provider to his wife, Tami,” his family said. “She will greatly miss him with all her heart and soul. He most enjoyed his Friday trucking time with his co-pilot and son, Ryder.
The Nightingale family thanked friends and the community “for the tremendous outpouring of love, support and prayers.”