Dear Editor,

Two weeks ago our family suffered a tremendous loss in Chuck Deatsch. Our husband, father, brother, son and best friend was killed. When he died so did many of our hopes and dreams for the future.

However, in the meantime, we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from this community and beyond. For that we are extremely grateful. We want especially to thank St. Mary’s Parish for their hospitality and strength. Also, thank you to all those that have donated time, money, meals, support and prayers.

The Appanoose County Sheriff’s Department, the Centerville Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation have been working exceptionally hard to find answers and we would like to thank them for the work they have done and continue to do.

To anyone who may have any knowledge about what happened that night, we would be grateful for the information. If you or someone you know did this, please come forward. We realize that answers to our questions will never bring him back, but it may help us begin to heal.

Again, thank you all so much for your support. Please continue to keep our family in your prayers. We know our lives will never be the same, but there is some comfort in knowing there is so much love and support for our family from this wonderful community.

Sincerely,

The Deatsch family