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72 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, August 30, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 15, 2004 Perry Custance, shown in action while at South Medford High, still owns the school records in the 1,500- and 3,000-meter events. Former South standout Custance found dead Custance’s apparent suicide late Saturday night near Ruch family home puzzles friends, teammates By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Family, friends and track and field teammates were grieving over the death of Perry Custance Monday after the distance runner died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound near his family home outside of Ruch late Saturday. Custance, 22, was found in a ravine about a quarter-mile from the home he grew up in with a family-owned pistol by his side, his father, Gary, said. "It doesn’t make any sense," Gary Custance said. "He was just one term short of graduating from college and he had so many good things going for him. "We are devastated." Perry Custance was a standout distance runner at South Medford High School, where he still holds school records in the 1,500- and 3,000-meter runs, and at Oregon Tech, where he claimed a Cascade Conference cross country title and ran the second-fastest steeplechase in school history. Advertisement Custance, who was set to graduate in the fall from Oregon Tech with a degree in software engineering, finished spring term last week and came home Saturday to visit with his parents. After a long chat, he took two of the family’s dogs for a walk. "He came back and hung out with us some more, and then all of a sudden he disappeared," Gary Custance said. "At first we thought he just went out to his car to get something. Then we thought maybe he went for another walk or a run, but three hours went by and he still wasn’t back." Gary Custance painstakingly scanned the backwoods and canyons in back of his home along Bishop Creek until 3 a.m. Sunday, then went back out at 5. Once daylight arrived, the Jackson County Search and Rescue team launched a search and finally found Perry Custance late Sunday afternoon just a quarter-mile from the family’s home. Family and friends gathered at the Custance residence Monday and erected a small memorial in a meadow nearby, where the track star often began his training runs. Gary Custance said a private service will be held at a yet-to-be-determined date on the family’s property, adding that his son will be cremated and his ashes will be scattered in the hills where he loved to run. News of the runner’s death hit his Oregon Tech teammates hard. They gathered Monday evening at the home of Owls distance running coach Marvin Dykstra to share memories and feelings. "These guys need to talk and share their good times and vent, because Perry meant a lot to the people in Klamath Falls," Dykstra said. "He was a quiet person, but through his running and his daily actions he spoke volumes." Throughout his running career, Custance was known as a tough-minded, tireless worker who would take on the most grueling workout a coach could offer and have a smile on his face when it was over. "Perry’s workouts are the gold standard that I have in my file," said South Medford distance coach Sandy Rowan, who tutored Custance for four years. "I keep every workout on every kid I’ve ever coached, and Perry had a work ethic that was like none other." And guts to match. At the Class 4A state cross country meet in the fall of 1998, Custance slipped and fell halfway through the race and was trampled by several other runners. He jumped to his feet and finished 13th among more than 70 runners. Then there was the steeplechase race last year at a big meet in Davis, Calif., in which Custance ran down the field. He triumphed in nine minutes, 11 seconds to get within three seconds of the Oregon Tech school record, then finished eighth at the NAIA national meet a couple of weeks later. "There was a guy who had a pretty good lead on Perry with 200 yards to go and Perry just freaking ran him down," Dykstra said. "Perry drilled that last water pit, shifted into another gear and edged that guy at the finish line. "It was vintage Perry — giving it everything he had to win another race." Custance’s times slowed this year, however. Burdened by nagging side aches and a sore back, a doctor put him on Prozac three months ago, his father said. "It seemed to bring him out of his shell a bit but maybe it wasn’t what he needed," Gary Custance said. "Maybe he wasn’t thinking straight." Despite his quiet, easy-going demeanor, Custance often had teammates laughing with his wit and wry sense of humor. "I remember one time our track team was going to Portland and all of a sudden Perry starts talking about the seven steps of love," Sandy Rowan said. "He got into a contest with the girls on what they were and he won. For the next week they had to pick up his sweats." Custance also entertained his teammates by doing backflips from a standing start, Rowan said. For his senior project in high school, Custance organized and helped establish a track meet exclusively for freshmen and sophomores. The meet, known as the Bob Newland Invitational, has grown more popular each year since its inception in 2000. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities