Caravan for a cause

Elly Herley knew she wanted to see instructor and coach, Scott Leisy, one more time.

And, she wanted the rest of the Bobcats girls' basketball team to visit, too.

"I wanted to do something for him so he knew how much I cared about and for all he had done for me," Herley said. "I knew from COVID-19 we couldn't gather in a group."

So Herley, a junior at Clearwater Public Schools, made a few phone calls and organized a Saturday quarantine cruise night, April 4.

One phone call snowballed into several more.

Text chains were organized, asking people from Clearwater to join in.

Soon, it included Ewing and Orchard residents, and eventually, a large contingent from Leisy's hometown, Atkinson.

The caravan left Clearwater at 5:30 p.m. Others joined the stream of cars in Ewing, the highways 20 and 275 junction and in O'Neill.

The impromptu cruise involved 163 vehicles, most fully loaded, many boosting signs of encouragement for the educator with stage 4 cancer. Drivers blasted car horns and everyone waved as they passed by the Leisy's ranch home, north of Atkinson.

Outside, Leisy's children - Haydon, Baylor and Jordyn - greeted each car, calling to classmates as they drove by, gathering candy tossed along the parade route in front of their home.

Herley said she hoped there would be a huge showing "so he could see just how many people he had touched and the support of a small community. I was very overwhelmed by all the support he had, but in the same sense, it warmed my heart."

In the early morning hours, April 6, Leisy died at the family's ranch, north of Atkinson.

While Herley will miss his strong faith, positivity and horrible jokes, she, like others, learned a lot from Leisy.

"He was a man who believed in me and gave me lots of self-confidence. He was more than just a coach. He was a friend. He always had my back his smile and positive attitude could make my bad days better. I will miss him greatly. The biggest lesson I learned from him was you continue to fight no matter how big the battle is."