Father remembers son by aiding cancer society

SHERBURN - On a beautiful Saturday morning, Dixie Crissinger and Dale Meckes, Sr., sat in her garage among tables covered in Tupperware containers, handmade blankets, children's items and exercise equipment as they watched both strangers and neighbors wander around hunting for a bargain.

The event was much like others taking place during Sherburn's city-wide garage sales, but signs set up in Dixie's garage and a basket for donations told shoppers this sale's proceeds were for more than just pocket money.

All proceeds went to the American Cancer Society in honor of Jarrett Meckes, Dale's son and Dixie's nephew.

Jarrett was just 13 years old and living with his mom and dad, two brothers and a sister, near Philadelphia, when his dad noticed he was losing his balance and seemed unusually tired.

"He didn't have no pep," Dale said.

Concerned, his parents took him to a couple doctors before receiving the devastating diagnosis - cancer on the brain stem.

"He was diagnosed on his mom's birthday, Oct. 6, 1997," Dale said.

Jarrett began cancer treatments right away, but by February, doctors gave him only two months to live.

But Jarrett was a fighter.

"When he heard that, he said, 'I am going to prove them wrong,'" Dale said, tears forming in his eyes. "He told us he was going to live to his 14th birthday."

Jarrett's birthday wasn't for six more months, on Aug. 3. Jarrett made it. He died two days later, on Aug. 5, 1998.

During his life, Jarrett enjoyed his visits to Winnebago to visit his mother's family.

"(Jarrett) made us promise we would move out here when he died," Dale said. "We moved to Blue Earth in 1998. He is buried in the Winnebago Cemetery."

In their grief, Dale and his wife, Claudine, participated in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life that year.

"We both thought it was amazing," he said.

Since then, Dale has had two garage sales per year to raise funds for the walk.

When he isn't preparing for his own garage sales in Blue Earth, he scours other sales and auctions to find items he can resell. People know him and his story around town and will call him up to donate items to his sales.

"I take just about everything," he said. "Anything but clothing."

He said he has raised about $1,200 per year the last couple of years. His 10-year average is about $800 per sale.

If something doesn't sell after three or four sales, he will donate it to the Salvation Army or Epilepsy Foundation.

This year, when Dale's sister-in-law Dixie came across a few items she no longer needed and decided it was time for a sale, she knew where she would direct her proceeds.

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