On Monday, November 13, 2006, Tom Dunphy, Leslie O'Bannon, Eric Jacobs and Josh Trainor, of Two Rivers Marketing, passed away when the Cessna 303 that was carrying them home from South Bend crashed about 10 miles after takeoff.

These individuals were dear friends of Special Olympics Iowa and will never be forgotten. Among them was Tom Dunphy, one of the founders and owners of Two Rivers Marketing, who was deeply devoted to Special Olympics Iowa. He was a member of the Special Olympics Iowa Board of Directors since 2003 and was serving as Vice Chair of the Board, slated to become Chair of the Board in 2008. He donated a lot of his time and money and was always there to help promote the mission of Special Olympics Iowa.

Dunphy, 41, has 3 sons, one of which, Brian, 7, has Down syndrome and is a Special Olympics Iowa athlete.

Rich Fellingham, President/CEO of Special Olympics Iowa, said Dunphy did so much for so many people that his death leaves a huge hole in the lives of thousands.

"The real key to Tom was that he just saw in this organization and how much it was doing for his son Brian and what it could do for the 13,000 other Special Olympics Iowa athletes," Fellingham said. "He just wanted to do everything he could to make that happen."

Fellingham also said that both Dunphy and his wife, Dana, were involved with Special Olympics Iowa. Two Rivers did the invitations and programs for the 4th annual Special Olympics Iowa Gold Medal Gala, held Saturday, November 11, 2006.

"They donated thousands of dollars of free service," Fellingham said. "Tom was a very giving person. His philanthropy didn't stop at Special Olympics. He'll be missed by thousands and thousands of people."

We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss and our hearts go out to all of the families and friends of Tom, Leslie, Eric and Josh. To read more about these individuals, please click here.