A local community and its first responders are getting a shout out Saturday evening from a couple who said they owe the small town in a big way.
Members of the Kemp family lost a lot in a serious car crash in May but they said they’re thankful it happened where it did.
Memorial Day 2013, Steve and Jodi Kemps’ trailer rolled three times after a car cut them off on I-80 near Annawan.
“I told everyone that day when I was trapped; I said take care of my wife and my dogs first. Without them, I’m nobody,” said Steve Kemps.
“The next thing I remember is being loaded into the ambulance and screaming, wanting to know where Steve and the girls were,” said Jodi Kemps.
The girls were Daisy and Abby, the couple’s two black labs. Steve was taken to a Davenport hospital in bad shape, a black-eyed Jodi by his side. They soon learned Daisy didn’t make it and Abby was missing.
“I even told Jodi to go look for her, to please go,” Steve said.
Jodi stayed with her husband in the ICU. But over the next 26 hours, friends and strangers relentlessly searched near the busy interstate for Abby and never gave up until she was found. Amazingly, Abby was safe and sound.
Abby the wonder-dog and the family, with the new addition Sadie, are doing great. They said they miss Daisy but are beyond grateful to the town and its first responders.
“Everybody was helping; they knew how important Abby was. We don’t have any children and our dogs are our kids. We had to get her back and it was not getting her back was not an option,” Jodi said.
“This girl here survived. I think Daisy watched over a lot of people who helped look for her. Thank you to everyone who did,” Steve said.
Steve and Jodi visited Annawan once already to say thank you but is planning a surprise for first responders in the future.