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Five years ago on June 25, 2019, Josh and Deana Hallman of Ellenboro received the most horrific news of their lives. Their 16-year-old daughter, Olivia Jordan Hallman, was killed in a car crash on Bostic-Sunshine Highway.
"It was the most horrible day of my life," Deana said. It was the telephone call no parent ever wants to receive. Their lives were forever changed.
Olivia (Liv) was a senior at East Rutherford High School and had plans to go to Wake Forest University. She had a passion for animals, the arts and was an advocate for mental health. She wanted to become a psychologist and help veterans. Her dreams were big.
Some of Liv's friends and those who knew her best, spoke at her funeral and told how their sweet friend was always there for the person who needed it the most on any given day. She was sensitive to their needs, yet did not realize the impact she had on their lives. Friends and teachers spoke of her giving and loving spirit. She always thought of the other person.
She was loved by her parents, her sister Nikki, her paternal grandparents, Harry and Donna Hallman; her aunt and uncle, Cassy and Jordan Hallman; cousins, Darren, Logan, and Finn Hallman; her uncle and aunt, Chip & Michelle Hoppes; her cousins Zech and Bash; and her aunt Lorie Givens.
Carrying on the legacy of their precious loved one, Liv's family made the decision to honor her life by helping others and making a difference in the world. In doing this they could continue to see the light of Liv in the world.
The first year of her passing, the family planted apple trees on their farm and donated money to East Rutherford High School's arts program. The second year, the Hallmans made gift bags for residents at Fair Haven in Bostic, on the third anniversary the family donated Toys for Tots during a Christmas in July event and the fourth year the family held a yard sale for the Heart of the Foothills.
Last year Deana made the conscientious decision to move the day of "giving back" to August 1 to honor Liv on her birthday instead of the day of the tragedy.
"I don't want her to be remembered when she died, I want her to be remembered for how she lived and celebrated life. How she loved the people closest to her so fiercely and those that knew how she touched their life in whatever small way that was," said Deana.
So just recently on August 1, the family honored Liv by giving back to the community at the Washburn Community Outreach Center (WCOC) where her grandmother Donna Hallman is a regular volunteer. Liv herself was a volunteer in the WCOC's thrift store.
"The entire Hallman clan decided to volunteer, all donning t-shirts with her name and a quote from Gandhi - 'Be the change you wish to see in the world, ' said WCOC Executive Director Lindy Abrams. "They not only collectively brought a pallet of pet food that was distributed to pantry clients in a matter of hours, but served the entire distribution, covering all the heavy lifting, packing, and bagging, clearing out our food storage."
Deana said, "Giving back is so therapeutic and healing because to know that you can help someone else is a great blessing, because I know in my darkest period there were so many...They didn't always know it, but some days I didn't think I could make it that day and I would receive a random text from one of those people and that was what I needed to get me to the next step."
People don't always get to choose the paths they are on, "but we do choose how we respond," she said.
"This is how we carry those we've loved and lost through our lives - be the legacy, be the change, carry their greatest attributes forward with our actions, and speak their name highly and often," said Abrams, who never met Olivia, but said she feels like her personality and spirit are now familiar and undeniably present everyday Donna Hallman volunteers at Washburn.
Deana said their daughter was such a special person for her age and was one who never met anyone she couldn't talk with. "Nana would take her to Walmart, and she always spoke to people making Nana slow down and enjoy her trip even with Nana bribing her with Doritos to eat," Deana said.
"I cannot express the love and thanks I have for my family with the support they give me and Josh on this journey. We don't always chose where life takes us but we chose how we respond. Choose kindness and humility; love strong and hug more, you never know when it might be the last one."
The day Deana's telephone rang at work and the caller told her no one knew where Liv was, changed the family's life forever.
Liv's life was short, but she will forever be etched in the hearts of her parents, grandparents, siblings and others. They are carrying on the best way they can as they honor her legacy by helping others.
WCOC volunteer Dot Abrams added, "And this is how you keep their light shining... even years after the loss. This is how you fill that hole in your heart with light. Donna Hallman, Olivia's grandmother, "walks"with me every week, on this journey of having to 'live on' without the physical presence"
Forever, the Hallmans will remember their Olivia aka "Liv, Livy Lou, Sweet Pea" as she was fondly nicknamed. Her light will continue to shine in and around those she continues to touch as she is remembered for her giving, loving and fun spirit, her acts of kindness and service.
