They say “Home is where the heart is.” This week, hearts from
every corner of Daleray Madewell and Jennifer Sebesta’s home in
Converse County are broken following their sudden and tragic deaths
in the mountains of Utah.
Madewell, a local pilot and owner of Double D Liquors in Douglas,
departed Feb. 9 on a mission for the Wyoming chapter of Pilots for
Christ. His goal: fly to Salt Lake City in his 1960 Cesna, retrieve
Sebesta, and bring her back home.
Pilots for Christ is a nation-wide, non-profit, non-denominational
Christian organization that unites private pilots to fly sick or
needy individuals all over the country, free of charge. Wyoming has
the largest chapter in the U.S. with 28 pilots and serves nearly
two times as many patients each year.
Sebesta, a Registered Nurse at Memorial Hospital of Converse County
in Douglas, was LifeFlighted to Salt Lake with her sick grandmother
so that her grandmother could recieve care at a hospital there.
Without a ride home, Sebesta’s friend and co-worker, Becky Oliver,
suggested her brother, Daleray as a possibility.
As Madewell was entering Utah airspace, he noticed a weather system
sitting over the mountains between Salt Lake and himself, so rather
than chancing it, he decided to land short and try to meet Sebesta
in Morgan County, Utah, approximately 50 miles away.
“As a pilot, he made a good descision to land short instead of
trying to go over the top when the weather was bad on top,”
Northeast Wing Commander for Wyoming Pilots for Christ, Doug McDuff
said. “When he called me, I applauded him on that. I said ‘Good
catch, excellent decision.’ Beyond that it was decent enough that
he thought he could take off, you know, he’s not an unsafe
pilot.”
Sebesta took a car from Salt Lake and met Madewell in Morgan County
and the pair took off for home.
According to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, Madewell was
attempting to turn his plane around to return to the Morgan County
Airport, the reason is still unknown at this time.
Around 7 p.m., after Madewell failed to check in, McDuff deemed the
flight overdue and contacted the Flight Service.
According to Civil Air Patrol Spokesman, Stephen Miller, a search
party was organized, but worsening weather prevented search planes
from taking off so a search area was triangulated and three teams
equipped with emergency locator transmitter locators headed into
the forest via snowmobile. After hours of searching on foot with
snowshoes, the teams were able to narrow the search effort to a
small canyon, but decided to break until morning.
When day broke on Feb. 10, a helicopter from the Utah Air Patrol
took off from the Morgan County Airport and headed for the
mountains. After about 15 minutes, the plane was located at the
bottom of steep section of Cottonwood Canyon, only about nine miles
from the airport. There were no survivors.
This tragedy marks the first loss of life in the 27-year history of
Pilots for Christ.
“We’re doing a ministry for the Lord,” McDuff said. “We’re helping
people, and offering this at no charge to people that need the
help.
“Our pilots are held to the same standards that all pilots (who
are) licensed and certified by the FAA, so we don’t accept anyone
in our ranks that’s not current on all of their certifications and
their aircraft maintenance. Everything has to be done to the letter
of the law.”
The exact cause of the crash is still unknown at this time and is
under investigation.
Madewell, 47, who was born and raised in Douglas, was well known
for his generosity and flew approximately 20 flights for WPFC. He
leaves behind five children and his significant other, Denise
Murphy.
“He was doing what he loved best, helping people and flying,”
McDuff said. “He was a good dad and a good member of your
community.”
Sebesta, 35, was a graduate of Glenrock High School and loved
welcoming new babies into the world on the obstetrician floor at
MHCC. She leaves behind three children.
“The Memorial Hospital family was deeply saddened to learn of
Jennifer’s death,” Memorial Hospital of Converse County CEO Ryan
Smith said. “She had been a nurse at MHCC since 2003 and was a
dedicated and caring member of our Labor and Delivery Team. Her
tragic loss is only amplified by the death of Daleray, who had
volunteered countless hours flying patients and families to
regional healthcare facilities as a Pilots for Christ pilot. Both
families have our deepest sympathy and condolences.”
A funeral service for Jennifer Sebesta will be held at 11 a.m. Feb.
18, at the Glenrock High School Gymnasium in Glenrock with Bishop
Brooke Downs of the Glenrock Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints conducting the service. Interment will be in the Glenrock
Cemetery.
A public funeral service for Daleray Madewell will be held at 10
a.m. Feb. 16 at the Fort Reno Building at the Wyoming State
Fairgrounds in Douglas, with Chaplain Wayne Laddusaw with the
Pilots for Christ officiating.
Pilots for Christ pilots will fly a tribute to Madewell following
the service.