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Next month, the five-year remembrance ceremony will be held for the devastating Oso landslide that wiped out a neighborhood, claiming the lives of 43 people.

The families of those killed have been working to get a permanent memorial for the slide site, and this week they took a big step toward that effort.

The families are still working to raise money to break ground on the full permanent memorial, but one part of that plan was to get part of SR 530 – much of which was destroyed in the slide and later rebuilt – named in honor of those lost.

John Hadaway, whose brother Steven was killed in the slide while out on a job installing a satellite dish on one of the homes in the Steelhead Drive neighborhood, led the effort to lobby the Washington Transportation Commission to rename the highway.

Those efforts got a huge boost with hundreds of people from across the nation sending and emails of support to the WTC, including Governor Inlsee and several state lawmakers.

On Wednesday, the commission unanimously to rename a 23-mile stretch of the road 鈥淥so Slide Memorial Highway.鈥�

RESOLUTION NO. 736 WHEREAS, on Saturday, March 22, 2014, at 10:37 a.m., a deadly landslide of historic proportion occurred – wstc.wa.gov
wstc.wa.gov
RESOLUTION NO. 736 WHEREAS, on Saturday, March 22, 2014, at 10:37 a.m., a deadly landslide of historic proportion occurred along State Route (SR) 530 in a community known as Steelhead Haven, near the Town of Oso, Washington; and WHEREAS, forty-three individuals lost their lives that day, forty-nine homes were destroyed or damaged, and eleven people were rescued from the slide.

Several family members shared their stories with the commission ahead of the vote, including Hadaway.

鈥淭o me it鈥檚 not just a highway and it鈥檚 not pavement,” Hadaway told the commission. “To me it鈥檚 sacred ground … and that鈥檚 how it should be treated.”

鈥淲hen people see that sign, they鈥檙e going to know that鈥檚 sacred ground … they鈥檙e going to know what happened, it鈥檚 going to give them direction, it鈥檚 going to give them meaning,鈥� Hadaway said. “It鈥檚 just that extra step to what we need to accomplish and that is to make sure it鈥檚 not forgotten.”

It was an emotional experience for all of the families who came to speak, including Seth Jefferds, the volunteer firefighter who lost his wife and baby granddaughter – as well as his home – in the slide.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to our families and to the community and to the people that responded out there, and by renaming the highway — giving that portion to everybody would be greatly appreciated,鈥� Jefferds told the commission, fighting back tears.

鈥淧eople would recognize the fact that this place means something to a lot of people and it鈥檚 part of the healing process for ourselves and everybody that was out there,鈥� Jefferds added.

The WSDOT plan and dimensions for the Oso Slide Memorial Highway signs. (Snohomish County)

After the vote, there were hugs, tears and smiles all around. It was a bittersweet celebration for Karen and Jessica Pzonka, who lost six family members in the slide.

鈥淔irst big step to getting to the memorial,鈥� Karen said.

鈥淪o their legacy isn鈥檛 forgotten. That鈥檚 our number one goal, it鈥檚 our family members(s) and we don鈥檛 want anyone to forget them,鈥� Jessica added.

鈥淲e want everyone to remember them forever and remember the fact that so many people came to our aid to help us with closure and getting our families back,鈥� Jessica said, referring to the four months that search crews stayed at the slide site to find the remains of all 43 victims.

For Dayn Brunner, who lost his sister in the slide but continued to search for other victims for nearly three months, it meant the world that the commission took time to listen to their stories and did not just rubber stamp the highway renaming.

鈥淔or us to come in here and tell our stories and for them to listen 鈥� it鈥檚 not just a formality. They were in there and they listened to us and cried with us. You know, they were hanging on every word we were saying. That鈥檚 the human part of it and that means a lot to me,鈥� Brunner said, adding that being able to talk about his sister, Summer, helps him heal.

John Hadaway says this is just the beginning as they continue to work for the ultimate goal of getting the full, permanent memorial at the slide site.

鈥淭his is one step to our final goal and we鈥檙e not stopping, just like it was when we were out there searching,鈥� Hadaway said. “We鈥檙e not stopping until it鈥檚 done … so we鈥檙e going to do what we gotta do.鈥�

The Oso Slide Memorial Highway signs will be dedicated at the remembrance ceremony on March 22, along with a mailbox sculpture 鈥� an homage to the line of mailboxes that used to mark the entrance to the Steelhead Haven neighborhood 鈥� the private paradise that was erased in the slide.

The families are still working toward their goal to raise $6 million for that permanent memorial. They’ve asked state lawmakers to approve about half of that in the 2019-2020 budget, which will be determined in the coming months.

You can find out how to donate to the permanent memorial聽here.