GREEN RIVER– To honor the memory of Stella Doak and Debbie Devries, Stellar Coffee hosted a luncheon for the local first responders today to thank them for all of the work they do in the community.

Showing Gratitude for First Responders

Suzie Johnson, the daughter of Debbie and the grandmother of Stella, organized the luncheon with her sister and aunt because they wanted to show their gratitude for the first responders, knowing that they have a tough job to do.

“It was important to us to give back to the community and to thank the first responders who go above and beyond. We wanted to show our appreciation for them and thank them for all their hard work,” Johnson said.

Johnson is the mother of Sami Doak, who owns Stellar Coffee with her husband Ian. Hosting a luncheon at Stellar Coffee was Johnson and her family’s way of honoring the first responders for everything they did for them one year ago.

A Better Way to Remember the Day

It was exactly one year ago, on March 10, 2017, when an impaired driver crashed into a Green River living room, taking the lives of Debbie and Stella. Johnson and her family said that hosting a luncheon to honor the first responders was a better way of remembering today.

“We know it affected them,” Johnson said of the call first responders received one year ago. “You just don’t see these response calls all the time. We saw how tough it was for them too and how hard they took it.”

Friendship Out Of Heartache

Johnson explained that being able to spend some time with the first responders over some food and drinks was “almost like an honor”.

“We made friendship, even though there was heartache,” Johnson said. “It was healing for us as well.”