'They're not lost any more'
Shock, then sorrow reverberated through the Daily Inter Lake newsroom Wednesday afternoon as word came in that two colleagues were among the four people who perished in a plane crash Sunday afternoon near Dixon.
Melissa Weaver, 23, the Inter Lake’s police and courts reporter, and Erika Hoefer, 27, who covered the business beat and was a weekend wire editor and page designer, both joined the staff in December 2009.
In their six months at the newspaper they already had proven themselves as talented writers.
“A newsroom is often like a big family and they were an important part of that,” Inter Lake Publisher Rick Weaver said. “Not only were they an important part of the newsroom, they were friends with everyone.”
Recently retired Publisher Tom Kurdy echoed those sentiments.
“Melissa and Erika will be greatly missed at the Daily Inter Lake,” Kurdy said. “Both of these ladies were enthusiastic about their chosen careers. They were exceptionally competent and professional.
“I am very sad about this unfortunate tragedy and my sympathies go out to both of their families,” Kurdy said.
Both young women brought a unique perspective to the newsroom.
Hoefer, a statuesque redhead who towered over 6 feet in her trademark high heels, moved to Kalispell from Chicago with a big-city lifestyle for fun and adventure. Her enthusiasm for life was infectious and she brought that energy and zeal to her writing.
Staffers agreed they will remember her passion for Pizza Hut pizza, her hot pink Post-it notes and her fashion sense. When the Inter Lake’s windowless newsroom seemed too drab for the two young reporters, Hoefer and Weaver spruced up their desks with brightly colored contact paper and matching desktop organizers. They were beacons of light in every sense of the word.
Hoefer’s Wisconsin roots and Midwest work ethic were a big part of who she was. She was a willing team player in the newsroom.
The Beloit Daily News in Hoefer’s hometown, where she had worked in 2005-06 as a reporter, page designer and features assistant, wrote its own story when it was learned she was missing.
“We were shocked and saddened by the news that Erika is missing,” Editor Bill Barth said earlier this week before the fate of four people in the crashed plane was learned. “As a former colleague, Erika has a lot of friends at the Daily News. Erika is a good journalist and a good person.”
Ann Montgomery, a former reporter who worked with Hoefer at the Beloit paper, said she had been reading a book together with Hoefer and comparing notes about it on Facebook.
“I’m still trying to comprehend the news that Erika and her friends are missing from their sightseeing trip Sunday afternoon,” Montgomery said in the Beloit news story. “It leaves your head spinning and sort of in a fog.”
Weaver, a Billings native and recent University of Montana journalism graduate, came to the Inter Lake as a focused, hard-driving reporter who strived for excellence.
Weaver already had gained the respect of the law-enforcement officers she dealt with on a daily basis.
Flathead County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ernie Freebury pointed out how much talent Weaver had.
“She was just at the very beginning of her career,” he said. “It’s always sad to lose young people, but when those people have so much potential like she did, it’s so difficult.
“She was such a sweetheart,” he added.
Freebury said law-enforcement officials, like the victims’ families and friends, held out hope until the very end.
“Everybody had a flicker of hope” that they’d be found alive, he said, adding that the only positive to come out of the tragedy is that they were found.
“They’re not lost any more,” he said.
Weaver was a standout as an intern at the Santa Cruz Sentinel in Santa Cruz, Calif., two years ago. Sentinel City Editor Julie Copeland e-mailed the Inter Lake to say that she “was impressed with Melissa from Day One.
“She was always on her game, ready to learn and wearing a smile,” Copeland said. “She had such a bright future.”
The petite Weaver and lanky Hoefer may have been opposites in appearance, but they shared an adventurous spirit that made them good friends. They were on one of those adventures, a sightseeing plane ride over Glacier Park and the Flathead Valley, when their lives were cut short.
A FEW OF the two women’s closest friends, all local journalists, quickly penned touching remembrances. Here’s some of what they’ll remember about their friends:
“Melissa and Erika were beautiful and full of life,” said K.J. Hascall, editor of the Hungry Horse News. “Melissa was fearless. We planned to hike to the Sperry Glacier in Glacier National Park together at the end of the month before she left for her Australian vacation. She was so thrilled about that vacation, and to resume schooling and finish her psychology degree.
“Erika was excited about everything. About life, about the next big adventure. I've never seen someone so excited to encounter a bear on a hike as she was. She had a great sense of style and a brilliant smile.”
Jasmine Linabary, editor of the Bigfork Eagle, had these thoughts:
“Melissa was a passionate and determined woman in addition to being a self-proclaimed perfectionist. She pushed herself and always wanted more. She itched to get thrown a big story and felt agitated when something big would happen on her days off. Her laugh and smile were infectious.
“Erika was full of life. She found humor and excitement in the little things — like a perfectly hideous blue-and-white couch at the thrift store that she felt like she had to have just because it was ridiculous; the sight of a bear on the way to Logging Lake or the prospect of going to visit a cheese factory. Even when life wasn't going her way, she found ways to smile or joke about it.”
Dillon Tabish, a sports writer for the Inter Lake, wrote this:
“We were a family of orphans. Each of us — Erika, Mel and I — had moved to Kalispell without really knowing anyone; all we knew was that coming here was a new adventure in a new place. I remember when they arrived — Erika with that Midwestern accent and Mel and her most contagious laugh. We immediately bonded.
“We hiked, ran, closed the bars down, stayed up til 4 a.m. talking, shared New Year's and Easter, dressed up silly and had deep-fry cooking parties — all together. We added members to our family as time went by and our adventures only continued. I looked forward to our Saturdays working together — the newsroom would be emptied and the girls, whomever got here first, would blast music from their computers and sing.
“It isn't easy moving away from home all alone, done with college and expected to get on with Life. We each struggled with this and voiced our worries and sadnesses. But we still always had each other at the end of the day. We had our little goofy, supportive, brave, loving family of orphans.”
Sydney Jordt, an advertising writer at the Inter Lake, was Weaver’s roommate and the one who alerted authorities Monday morning that the two women and their flying companions were overdue in returning from their Sunday afternoon flight.
She described her friends like this:
“Melissa: She was incredibly driven, intelligent and sharp-witted. She had this wonderful laugh that was full of life, and when you went anywhere with her it wasn't just an outing, it was an adventure. She was ambitious and fearless and fun. The perfect shopping buddy for marathon Target trips. She was up for anything and had plans to do everything. She was so, so very strong — calm and composed through tough life decisions and a difficult beat to cover.
“Erika: She possessed so much talent, more talent than I think she knew. She was creative and blessed with an artistic eye. She had impeccable taste and a style that was all her own, a reflection of her vivacious, bubbly personality. She was a wonderful, captivating storyteller. She was so lively and animated — she was always fun and it was contagious. Each day held so much potential, everything she did was new and exciting and full of laughter.
“Months and months ago, in a strange and scary new office, these girls were welcoming and friendly; we banded together to become this little family. We were weekend adventurers and friends trying to figure out how to navigate life after college. Erika and Melissa were in the middle of it all, bringing everyone together and holding us there.
“In essence, these girls were very bright and beautiful lights in this world.”
Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com