Lake Geneva man’s wife died, son suffered head injury in June crash
By Vicky Wedig
Editor
Shawn Panyk is connecting his faith with his finances by having a spaghetti dinner benefit for a friend whose wife was killed and son was hospitalized after a car crash in Rock County in June.
Through his membership in Thrivent Financial, Panyk, a member of The River church in Delavan, is using the company’s Action Teams program to raise funds for the medical care of his friend’s son.
Panyk befriended Justin Border, of Lake Geneva, about three years ago in a gaming group. Border’s eventual wife, Jessica “Jessie,” also participated in the group and became a friend of Panyk’s.
On June 13, the now married couple and Border’s 5- and 8-year-old sons from a previous marriage were driving north on Interstate 43 in Beloit when Justin Border stopped to help a disabled vehicle that was in the center of the northbound lanes facing south, according to a Janesville Gazette article.
As Border was stopped with the vehicle’s hazard lights on behind a mini-van that was also stopped, a semi truck hit the disabled vehicle that was in the roadway, according to the article. Border reported blacking out at that point, and a passenger in the minivan reported the van being struck from behind.
A 20-year-old Janesville woman, who was driving the disabled vehicle, was arrested for drunken driving and charged with homicide by intoxicated driving in Rock County Circuit Court.
Jessie Border, 26, died as a result of the crash, and both children were injured. The older boy, Owen, suffered a head injury and remains under medical care, Panyk said.
Border was a five-year veteran in the U.S. Marines and a Badger High School graduate, Panyk said. He described Jessie as “den motherish” and said both were “such quality people.”
Panyk decided to use his twice-yearly opportunity as a Thrivent Financial member to form an Action Team to raise money for Owen’s care.
The program gives Panyk $250 to use as seed money to conduct the fundraiser. As it turned out, members of Panyk’s team donated most of the items needed for the event, and Panyk will use the $250 to promote the event.
Panyk hopes to draw 400 people to the spaghetti dinner at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Lake Geneva on Sept. 19. Immanuel Lutheran donated use of the space for the event, and another member of Panyk’s gaming group donated the food.
The event will raise fund through admission to the dinner and a raffle and auction.
Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for children 4 to 12 years old and free for children 3 years old or younger. Serving times will be on the hour beginning at 3 p.m. with the last seating at 7 p.m.
The event will include raffles and silent auctions, and anyone who buys tickets ahead of time will be entered to win an hourly door prize.
Guests can visit the Border Family Benefit and Spaghetti Dinner page on Facebook or visit borderfamilybenefit.com for details.
