Eaton employees pull together to help Stacy Presswood Peacock

[May 12, 2017]  LINCOLN - When you work together for roughly 40 years with the same people, you share a lifetime of ups and downs. No where is this more true than at Lincoln’s own Eaton Corporation.

Last October when Stacy Presswood Peacock suffered a severe spinal cord injury in a car accident that left her paralyzed from the chest down, the entire Eaton family was affected. Peacock’s mom, Peggy (Gibbs) Dunne, has worked at the local factory for nearly 41 years. Peacock’s accident not only affected Dunne, but also her friends and coworkers at Eaton.

Over the past several months as Peacock’s life has changed and the need for emotional and financial support has increased, a group of ladies all connected through Eaton decided to pull together and help.

The fruits of their labor will be realized this Saturday, May 13th, at the Knights of Columbus Hall at 217 N. Limit St. in Lincoln as the ladies, with the help of many more friends and family of Eaton, will host a benefit for Peacock. The benefit will start at 1 p.m. and go on as long as it takes to get through everything.

The benefit came about thanks to the initial efforts of Irene Carmichael. She explained, “We saw the need. We’ve known Peggy before she even had her children. We’ve all worked together and we are like family,” said Carmichael.

“We’ve all worked here almost 40 years,” added another Eaton coworker, Kathy Patterson, who has 39 years in with the company.

“And these are our children,” chimed in Shirley O’Donoghue, also a friend and coworker with 39 years in at the factory. “It doesn’t matter, these are our children,” reiterated O’Donoghue, as she began to tear up.

Carmichael, who leads the pack with 42 years of service, started the project in motion when she approached her friends at work. “I went to these two and Carmen,” pointing to Patterson and O’Donoghue, “and said, “Can we do this?”

“They said yes and as long as we had each other we took it from there,” said Carmichael. Carmichael was joined by O’Donoghue, Patterson and retirees Carmen Zurkhammer and Marsha Hurley. Zurkhammer retired from Eaton with 40 years and 10 months, “I just couldn’t make it to 41 years,” she said, drawing huge laughter from her friends. Meanwhile, Hurley made it to 40 years before calling it quits. All these ladies were quickly on board with Carmichael and the project has steamrolled into a massive benefit for Peggy’s daughter, Stacy, and her three young daughters.

Carmichael was quick to add, “We’ve had phenomenal help.”

“We’re family. That’s how we feel,” added Patterson.

So this Saturday the Eaton family will gather at the KC Hall, which incidentally donated the use of their facility for the benefit, and help out one of their own.

Stacy will be there much of the day, depending on how she feels, she said. She also mentioned she will arrive for the 12:30 p.m. prayer by Pastor Mark Weber. The benefit itself will kick off at 1 p.m. with food and an afternoon and evening full of raising money for the mother of three young girls.

The organizers plan to start the drawing for raffles at 5 p.m. with the live auction by Cody Tucker set to begin at 6:30 p.m.

A list of donated items from all over the community and beyond include:

• Generator donated by Eaton

• China Cabinet

• Tons of nice gift baskets

• Cardinal tickets

• Cub tickets

• Autographed Kyle Schwarber baseball

• Harley-Davidson helmets

• John Deere bench

• Wine baskets

• Lottery tree

• Beach basket with tickets to Splashdown in East Peoria

• Nascar tickets

• 55-inch TV

• Hotel rooms to Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn in Lincoln

• Meal tickets

• St. Louis package with tickets to the Arch, Botanical Gardens and the Riverboat

• Tickets to the Anheuser-Busch Beer School

• Three different photography packages

Stacy Presswood Peacock is surrounded by the ladies of Eaton who are putting on a benefit this Saturday at the Knights of Columbus Hall beginning at 1 p.m. From left to right: Shirley O’Donoghue, Irene Carmichael, Kathy Patterson, Marsha Hurley and Carmen Zurkhammer. This picture is taken outside Peacock’s home, which is a remodeled garage near her mother’s home. The home has been made handicapped accessible by her Uncle Kenny Gibbs and her two cousins, Chad and Kyle Lucas. 

There will also be a 50/50 raffle.

In addition to all this there will be a kid’s room with games and face painting. Adults can enjoy a bags tournament outside. Come hungry and enjoy a delicious meal made up of pulled pork, baked beans, coleslaw and potato salad. A kid’s meal features hot dog and chips. For desserts go over to the bake sale table and test out the bakers from Eaton.

“We’ve got some phenomenal bakers at Eaton,” bragged Carmichael.

Carmichael added, “We’ve got some retirees that will be helping that day, too. We’ve always been there for each other.”

The family feeling is very evident when talking with this group of ladies.

Patterson agreed, “Her kids are my kids, my kids are her kids, that’s how it is.” She nodded to the rest of the group.

“And now we are grandparents,” added Carmichael, “and we’re watching our grandkids grow up.”

“We share the ups and downs, the good times and bad times,” Carmichael continued. “This for us, it hit us, too. Stacy’s whole life has been turned upside down and our goal is to help pay for this home that had to be remodeled for her wheelchair. You know, medical bills, anything that we can help with. That’s what we’re working for.”

“This was real important for us that we stepped up. This is the least we can do. There’s a great need here and we can’t thank everybody enough,” said Carmichael.

“But the donations poured in because of her (Stacy) and who she is. It’s because of who she is and who she’s touched in her life,” said O’Donoghue.

As O’Donoghue spoke, Peacock sat quietly nearby in her wheelchair. Finally, Peacock spoke and explained some of her connections to the people of Logan County and surrounding areas.

Going back a few years, Peacock started working by way of a paper route in Mason City when she was just nine years old. Peacock also worked at the grocery store in Mason City as well as volunteering at the Mason City Area Nursing Home with her brother, Shane Presswood.

Seventeen years ago Peacock worked at Cracker Barrel as she was going through school and she got to know the people of Lincoln. Peacock then became a nurse in the community and got to know even more people.

Eventually her nursing career took her to long-term care in nursing homes. “I like nursing where I get to know my patients,” she said. As a hospice nurse Peacock also took care of many patients throughout the community. “You are there for them and the family in a rough time and you really do get to know them,” said Peacock.

Now with Peacock being on the receiving end of all this help, she is without a doubt very appreciative. “I can’t thank these ladies enough for what they have done. Mom’s been trying to focus on everything and make sure I’ve got what I need and that I am taken care of and for these ladies to step up and take care of everything and take on this monstrosity is just such a blessing. They are just wonderful and I cannot thank them enough.”

“She would do it for us,” said Patterson. “And that’s because we love them,” said Carmichael. “Well I have been there and we have to give back to our community,” said Hurley. “We did too, with Punk’s,” added O’Donoghue. “You never know and we have to take care of each other,” added Carmichael.

[Teena Lowery]