'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.
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