'A buddy bench
Lana Redal, left, fights back emotion as her friend and fellow Larson Elementary teacher Cara Galbraith reads the dedication on a plaque that will be added to a bench built in memory of Redal’s granddaughter Ella Muongmany.
CHERYL SCHWEIZER/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Penelope Smiley, front, presents flowers to Alicia Diaz, right, as Lana Redal, back, wipes away a few tears. The bench is in memory of Redal’s granddaughter, who was killed in a 2018 collision. Smiley was a classmate and friend of Ella Muongmany.
Lana Redal, right, talks about her granddaughter Ella Muongmany during the dedication of a bench in Ella’s honor at Larson Elementary School Friday. Penelope Smiley, left, was a friend of Ella’s and still comes around to visit, Redal said.
From left: Lana Redal, Penelope Smiley and Ayali Guiterrez release balloons in memory of Redal’s granddaughter Ella Moungmany. The two girls were friends of Ella’s, Redal said, and remain friends of the family.
Lana Redal, in purple, gives a hug to Alicia Diaz, right, who designed the bench in honor of Redal’s granddaughter Ella Moungmany. Ella’s friend Penelope Smiley, front, was part of the dedication ceremony.
MOSES LAKE — Ella’s Nana Lana Redal said purple was Ella’s favorite color. So the butterfly bench Redal commissioned in Ella’s memory reflects that.
Sarah Steffler and her daughter Ella Muongmany were killed in a traffic accident in August of 2018, just before Ella was to start first grade at Larson Heights Elementary. Redal wanted to add a memorial for her daughter and granddaughter at Larson, where she is a first-grade teacher. The bench was dedicated Friday afternoon.
“We are here to celebrate little Ella Muongmany, who loved school. Not just because - oh, yeah, her Nana works here, but because she loved learning, math and making friends here at school,” Redal said.
Ella was always ready to support other children if they needed it, her grandmother said, and the bench is designed to reflect that.
“It’s a memorial bench. A buddy bench,” Redal said.
She wanted, she said, a place where Larson Elementary students could come when they feel lonely.
“It kind of signifies, ‘I need a friend,’” Redal said.
During the dedication, Redal said Moses Lake Steel owner Steve Rimple played a key role in the project.
“Moses Lake Steel donated the materials for this,” Redal said. “I was under the impression that I would be paying for it out of some memorial funds, but he graciously said, ‘I’ll deliver it to the school on Monday, and there’s no charge to you.’ There are no words to express my gratitude for that generosity.”
The bench was designed by Alicia Diaz, a student at the Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center, and was built by skills center students.
“I’m really proud of it,” Diaz said.
She talked with Ella’s family before she started her design.
“They told me a little bit about what they wanted,” she said.
She submitted some options and Ella’s family chose the final design.
“Alicia had never met Ella, but I think we all agree – those of us that knew her – that she captured her spirit entirely in this bench,” Redal said.
The staff at Larson Elementary was of great help in the aftermath of the accident, Redal said. Her coworkers took over her class while she was on a leave of absence and provided support when she returned to work.
“All of these colleagues continue to uphold me each and every day,” she said. “(Teacher Tony Preston) asked me the other day, ‘How long has it been, Lana?’ And I said, ‘Four years. But actually, it’s yesterday.’ So they still uphold me every day.”
Some of the children in Ella’s class continue to come by and see Ella’s Nana, she said. Ella’s friend Penelope Smiley helped read the message on a plaque that will be added to the back of the bench.
“In loving memory of Ella Muongmany and her mom,” it reads. “We can be, and will be better for they existed.”
Cheryl Schweizer may be reached at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.
