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49 °F 5 Day Forecast Saturday, November 29, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental 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 Email Story to a Friend November 12, 2003 Friends and relatives of Barbara Summers and her 2-year-old granddaughter, Misty Wilson, gathered Tuesday at Riverside Avenue and McAndrews Road to erect two crosses and remember the two, who were killed 20 years ago by a drunk driver. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven A Family’s farewell Memorial serves as reminder of DUII’s damage By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune Twenty years after her sister was killed by a drunk driver, Nancy Williams has her closure. In a final farewell, the family of Barbara Summers and Misty Wilson placed two memorial crosses Tuesday in front of the Rogue Valley Mall. Summers would be 60 this year, Misty 22, if they hadn’t been killed by a drunk driver Nov. 11, 1983, at the corner of Riverside Avenue and McAndrews Road. "I thought now was the time for a reminder," Williams said, citing local media attention on recent traffic deaths related to drunk driving. "If we can stop one person from driving drunk, I think what we’re doing is worth it." Advertisement The death of Summers and her 2-year-old granddaughter helped raise the community’s awareness of drunk driving, Williams said. The subsequent conviction of Chris Edward Ramey on charges of first-degree manslaughter is believed to be the first in Jackson County connected to drunk driving. "I think it was a definite turning point in the way the public viewed drunk driving," said Medford police Lt. Mike Moran, who was a patrol officer at the time of the crash. "What gets to people is when they think, ‘I go through that intersection a hundred times a year. That could have been me.’ " Summers was taking her two grandchildren to their home on Bessie Street when her Honda Civic was struck broadside by Ramey’s 1964 Pontiac, which was traveling along Riverside and barreled through the red light at McAndrews. The Honda spun around several times and crashed into a telephone pole, killing Summers and Misty before emergency workers arrived. Misty’s 4-year-old brother, Michael, was standing up between the two front seats when the car was hit. He was seriously hurt but recovered. Michael now lives in Coos Bay with his mother, Della Wilson. The two did not attend the memorial Tuesday, Williams said. Ramey was sentenced to eight years in prison on the manslaughter convictions as well as one for felony hit and run. The 26-year-old fled from his car after the crash and tried to climb over a fence into the muddy field where the mall now stands. A passerby chased down Ramey, holding him until police arrived. Officers recorded Ramey’s blood-alcohol level at more than twice Oregon’s legal limit of .08 at the time of the crash. Witnesses testified that he had been drinking at two Medford taverns before the crash. The death of her sister and grand-niece forever changed the way Williams viewed drinking, she said. After the crash, she quit her job at the Library Lounge, formerly at the corner of Main Street and Riverside. As a cocktail waitress in the 1980s, Williams never once stopped a customer who had drunk one too many from driving, she said. Like many people she knew, Williams never thought twice about having a drink before driving home from work for the night, she said. "Right now, it scares me to death thinking what I may have caused," she said. Twenty years after losing her sister and grand-niece, Williams, 59, routinely acts as a designated driver for family and friends. The memorial for Summers and Misty has been 20 years in coming, but as Williams watched balloons float from the two crosses into the sunset sky, she healed a bit more. "I feel like ... maybe I can let her go. It’s complete now." Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, 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 © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times