Dunavan, Jason Dean

Dunavan, Jason Dean

August 21 1983 - October 18, 1997

Jason Dean Dunavan, 14, of Eugene, died at 6:35 P.M. October 18, 1997, due to automobile accident near Cayuga. He was a freshman at North Vermillion High School. Born August 21, 1983, in Danville, Illinois, he was the son of William Dunavan, Jr. and Roxanna Richardson Dunavan. He played trumpet for the North Vermillion High School band; was a member of Sons of the American Legion (S.A.L.) Post No. 263 in Cayuga; had a perfect attendance record at school for the past six years; and enjoyed football, wrestling, electronics and fishing. Most of all, he enjoyed his C.B. radio, going by the handle "Leprechaun".

He was preceded in death by his paternal grandmother, Rosalie Dunavan. Survivors include his parents; three sisters, Kathy, Linda and Leslie Dunavan, all at home; paternal grandparents, Debbie and William Dunavan, Sr. of Eugene; paternal great-grandparents, Austin and Opal Dunavan of Eugene and paternal great-grandmother, Mary Boyer of Hillsdale; maternal grandmother, Violet Richardson of Danville, Illinois; maternal grandparents, Chuck and Linda Richardson of Fairmount, Illinois; maternal great-grandparents, Louise and Thomas Doyle of Washington; one aunt, Tiffany of Eugene; best buddy, Duke Lloyd; and several uncles and aunts and cousins.

Grave side services and burial will be held in Eugene Cemetery at 1 P.M. Wednesday with Rev. Randy Sherwood officiating. There will be no visitation. The family requests that contributions be made to North Vermilion High School Band, in care of North Vermillion High School, 555 North Falcon Drive, Cayuga, Indiana, 47928."

Another article was printed in the Commercial News, Danville, Illinois regarding the death of Jason. It read: "North Vermillion Student Dies In Weekend Crash - Cayuga, Indiana - Jason Dean Dunavan loved playing the trumpet for the North Vermillion High School Band. The 14 year old freshman also had a perfect school attendance record for the past six years. "Jason was a very stern, dedicated individual. When he set his mind to do something, he did it," North Vermillion Principal Orin Sutherlin said this morning.

Dunavan's blossoming academic career was cut short by tragedy over the weekend in a fatal traffic accident near Cayuga. The two vehicle wreck that killed him left three others injured, including the teen's father. In response to the youth's death, school officials postponed an open house originally scheduled for tonight. It has been rescheduled for October 27, Sutherlin said.

Also, area ministers were on campus today to counsel students who needed help coping, Sutherlin said. In addition, a staff guidance counselor and two others who came from the elementary school were also available. Sutherlin said there were no plans yet for any formal, school-sponsored memorial service for Dunavan. "I can't say what might develop later in the week, though. He was a very well-known person," he said.

Dunavan died in the collision at 6:35 P.M. Saturday at Indiana Routes 63 and 234. He was a passenger in the vehicle driven by his father, William Dunavan, Jr., 38, of Eugene. According to the Vermillion County Sheriff's Department, the elder Dunavan's 1989 pickup truck was eastbound on 234 when it failed to yield at the intersection. The truck was struck by a 1992 Buick Le Sabre driven by Bobby Fennell, 53, of Danville, who was northbound on 63.

Dunavan's vehicle flipped on its top and Fennell's went into a ditch, police said. Jason Dunavan was pronounced dead at the scene. William Dunavan and Fennell were both in serious condition this morning at Union Hospital in Terre Haute. An unidentified passenger in Fennell's car was treated for a broken left wrist and ankle at West Central Community Hospital in Clinton. There was no indication alcohol played a role in the crash, police said this morning." - Commercial News, Danville, IL & Fountain County Neighbor, Attica, IN

Burial is in Eugene Cemetery, Eugene Ind.