Submitted by Penny Meyers Churchill
A girlfriend and I (we were 19 and 20 years old at the time) were on our way back to the apartment we shared on the northwest side of South Bend. We had just been to the Ready Theater in Niles, MI, and I was driving my 1962 Volkswagen Beetle.
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It was after 6:00 pm when we left Niles for South Bend. As we progressed south on 31 S., the wind picked up and became stronger and stronger, as rain and little pellets of hail began hitting the car. The sky became totally dark black and eerie. Suddenly, the wind began almost overpowering the car. I had to grip the steering wheel tightly and hold on for dear life while trying to steer and watch the road ahead of us, as the rain was coming down stronger than I had EVER experienced! I could only go 25 mph down the highway. All we wanted to do was reach our apartment safely! We had absolutely no idea that tornadoes were ripping through areas south of South Bend at the time. It wasn't until later that night on TV that we found out about the tornadoes, and we then thanked God for getting us back to our apartment unscathed!
There are some experiences in life that you never forget, and that was absolutely one of them!
There are some experiences in life that you never forget, and that was absolutely one of them!