Tears From Heaven

By Ralph McCormick 

Three years ago, in 2001, I approached the Log Cabin Democrat (Conway, AR) to print a start-up aviation publication called FLY-LOW.  The person I dealt with was Deanna Hearn.  It really wasn’t much of a decision whether to print with them or not after meeting Deanna.  Her magnetism and exuberance emanated from everywhere.  She was so vigilant not to say anything incorrect.  I could see her desire to please in our conversation.   

For the past three years, I have worked with Deanna, through the good times and the bad.  She constantly made every effort to please and see that the product was good.  It never seemed to bother her when she had to correct our mistakes before sending it to the press room.  She had driven to my office, an hour away from her office, to make computer corrections, never complaining, so that our computers would understand each other.  It was all in her job.   

The one time I saw tears come to her eyes was an evening I came to print and all the pages were located in the wrong place.  If we printed it that way, it would be a disaster.  She admitted it was her fault.  Deanna had given me the wrong information on where to build the pages.  She was heartbroken.  If it took all night, she said, she would correct it…  Whatever it took to get it right, Deanna would have done.  She thought I was angry at her.  I kept trying to explain that I wasn’t angry.  I told here that I would take it back and re-organize it.  That would be the easiest thing to do.  After I completely rebuilt the pages, we printed it several days late.  Deanna realized that I wasn’t mad.  The changes just had to be made, a mistake had been happened and now we needed to make it right. Anger would have served no purpose. 

On those nights we printed, she would always wait until the press was running and the product was good before she left to go home to her other family.  That was her job.  A job she took most seriously.  She taught me a lot about what needed to be done to get a good product.  We had our trials and errors.  Deanna always went the extra mile, never complaining.  Our publication is just over three years old and much of its success, quality of product has to go to Deanna.  I became part of the family she cared about.  She took pride in what we did, because FLY-LOW was her family, also.    

Today, I lost another friend.  On Saturday, May 22, 2004, at 8:15 am Deanna and Larry, her husband, was riding a motorcycle in Greenbrier (AR).  The motorcycle collided with a car.  The car won.  I lost a friend.  Larry was injured seriously, but he lived.  We buried Deanna today.  It was such a sad day.  I know we are supposed to be happy for her, as she goes to be with God.  Perhaps, part of my pain comes from the fact that I am jealous…  I wasn’t finished with her here on earth.  I looked forward to many years of working together.  This is not to be.   

Did she have friends?  Yes, indeed.  The church was standing room only.  Perhaps, as many as seven-hundred friends came to say goodbye.  The service celebrated the life of this lady.  I celebrate the life of Deanna Hearn.  I know that her son, daughter and husband will miss her as much as those of us in her other family who loved her.  It seems that her families are at the bottom this day.  We will come back and Deanna will always be with us, in spirit.  We printed FLY-LOW the Monday after her death on Saturday.  I kept looking for her smiling face to bounce around the corner.  It never happened… printing was forlorn that night.   

As I write this, a tear falls down my cheek.  After the service, hundreds of Deanna’s friends walked to the cemetery for those last few moments, words were spoken by the minister, tears were shed and people hugged.  Our friend was now in Heaven, we were left here on earth.  After all the hugs, tears, and silent prayers…  It was time to go our separate ways.  

At that very moment, there were tears from Heaven.  It started to rain, lightly at first.  Just a drop here and there.  I turned to a friend standing beside me and remarked, “Some people hate for it to rain at a funeral.  Personally, I am pleased to see it rain today.  I believe that if it rains during a funeral, it is God’s way of saying… I have Deanna with me, these tears from Heaven are my way of saying, I am sorry.”  

 Deanna, we love you and we will miss you.