Deason makes final trip home

Community displays flags to show support for family

By PAULA BARR\Daily Journal Staff Writer

Staff Sergeant Michael Deason was escorted home Friday night by Highway Patrol and St. Francois County area police officers, his family and friends who drove to St. Louis to welcome their hero home.

Deason, 28, was killed in Iraq on Aug. 31, just a week before his wife and two small children expected him home. He was killed when an armor-piercing grenade struck his Humvee.

Friday afternoon, approximately 30 family members gathered at Taylor Funeral Service in Farmington to make the trip to Lambert International Airport. While an instrumental version of “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” played softly in the background, the family sat in a chapel and quietly shared stories of Deason.

Farmington Police led the hearse and more than a dozen cars from the funeral home to U.S. 67. Two hours later, the line of cars pulled into the air cargo section of the Airport, where two ladder fire trucks were erecting a huge American Flag. Members of the Patriot Guard Riders, a motorcycle group that attends the funeral services of fallen American heroes when invited by the family, stood at attention as they waited for Deason to arrive. The group's mission is to show respect for “fallen heroes, their families and their communities,” and to shield mourners from interruptions created by protesters, according to its Web site ( http://www.patriotguard.org ).

The plane carrying Deason was due to arrive at 7:15 p.m. Twenty minutes later, a military honor guard escorted his flag-draped casket from the building to the hearse.

Minutes later, the procession accompanying Deason to Farmington followed Highway Patrol officers and began the nearly two-hour journey home.

Once they passed the St. Francois County border, firefighters, Elks members and other supporters along the road quietly held flags in tribute to Deason.

“We're here to show support for Mike Deason and his family,” said Sonja Wardlow, whose husband Sgt. Mark Wardlow, Jr., is in Iraq. Tears ran down her face as she added, “I'm so worried about his wife and his children and how they will get through this.”

Wardlow and Lori Newberry held a large flag as they waited in Bonne Terre for the procession to pass by. Newberry's son, Spec. Nicholas Newberry, also is in Iraq. Joining them in their vigil were Wardlow's mother-in-law Carol Winch, and Sheila Borgmann, a friend and co-worker of Cindy and David Deason. Her two sons served in Desert Shield.

The women knew firsthand of the fears family members have when a loved one is fighting overseas, and they wanted the Deason family to know that others care.

“We just have to come together,” Borgmann said. “We want to show support for all the men and women in Iraq.”

As the procession entered Park Hills, they were joined by a half dozen area police officers. Nearly 30 members of the Mineral Area Elks Lodge lined part of the highway and raised flags as the procession drove by.

“The Elks have always supported the veterans,” Exalted Ruler Gary Mitchell said. “We understood Mr. Deason was coming home tonight and we wanted to show our support.”

Deason was a Staff Sergeant with the 101st Airborne Division, stationed at Ft. Campbell, Ky. and made the elite Army Rangers. He enlisted in 2000 for three years, completed that tour and then joined for an additional four years. He was awarded the Bronze Star while in Iraq. Deason has also been awarded the Purple Heart posthumously.

Visitation will be today from 4-9 p.m. and Sunday 7-11 a.m. at Taylor Funeral Service, Inc., in Farmington. His funeral will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at Farmington First Assembly of God Church. Burial will be at Big River Cemetery in Irondale.

Deason is survived by his wife Tiffany Deason and their two children Jayden and Kayler; his father David Deason and his step-mother Cindy Deason; his mother Terry Galloway; his sisters Ashley Deason and Linda (Willis) Abbott; and his brother Ryan Galloway.

Deason graduated from North County High School in 1996 and attended Mineral Area College before entering the U.S. Army.

Archives Web Site Marketplace Obits Babies Jobs