Local cops face-off against firemen this Saturday for Maple City’s DePuy family
Mandy DePuy, two Glen Lake daughters will benefit from this year’s Guns-N-Hoses event
By Linda Alice Dewey
Sun contributor
The annual Guns-N-Hoses game originated with Traverse City’s Sara Posey, a former Munson EMT, and her firefighter husband, Tony.
“Six years ago, some friends of ours’ son was diagnosed with cancer in his eye,” said Sara. “My husband is a hockey player, and the child’s father was a police officer. “My husband thought how much fun it would be to have a game, cops vs. firefighters, and try to raise some money for them.”
With help from friends, they organized the game. “By the end of the night, it was standing room only, and we raised a significant amount.”
After the second successful event, they formed a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a seven-member board.
Guns-N-Hoses has helped six families so far. With all expenses covered by sponsors, everything collected from event sales goes to the beneficiaries. “We give them the proceeds,” Posey said, “and it’s for them to do what they want.”
Players for the Guns are from the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Department and Michigan State Police. Hoses are mostly from Traverse City, plus the Leland Fire Department’s John Van Raalte.
Enter the DePuys
Nominations are open each October for the next year’s beneficiary. This year, several were submitted for the DePuy family from Glen Lake firefighters.
The DePuys’ situation was dire. Mike had learned he had Stage 3 rectal cancer two years ago, when he was 39. By last fall, even after aggressive treatment, it had metastasized to his lungs and skin at Stage 4.
Meanwhile, a year ago, Mandy learned she had an aggressive form of breast cancer. In June, she underwent a double mastectomy.
Sara Posey knew Mike’s father, John DePuy, the current interim GleMunn Lake Fire Department chief, from his work over the past decade with Munson and at North Flight, where he trained paramedics and EMTs. Among those trainees was Sara Posey.
In November, the Guns-N-Hoses board announced Mike and Mandy DePuy and their two daughters, Glen Lake students Emma and Sophie, would be the 2019 beneficiary.
Mike died on Dec. 4. Mandy underwent reconstructive surgery later that month. Because testing shows she’s genetically disposed to cancer, she’s scheduled for a hysterectomy this coming summer.
When asked how it feels to be the beneficiary, Mandy replied, “It’s really humbling.”
Mike’s father, John DePuy, also feels humbled and honored about his son’s family being named the beneficiary for this year’s game.
Concurrent with Mike’s death, John was asked to return as fire chief—for the third time. One might think the timing would be bad, but DePuy said the fire station actually takes his mind off the situation.
“I’m glad I can help the community,” he said. “I was asked if I could come back for an interim position. I told them, ‘I’m not looking to retire three times—just for an interim position. I’d like to be done here by the first of April.”
Meanwhile, he said, “I enjoy these guys down here. They’re a great group of fellas here and in Empire. They don’t need a whole lot of supervision. They do a whole lot on their own.” [Follow the Sun for a future article on John’s current tenure at the Glen Lake Fire Department.]
Mandy revealed that, over the past two years, her daughters got used to Mike being gone a lot for surgeries and treatment in Ann Arbor. “They said just the other day, ‘It’s like he’s on a hunting trip, or he’s at the hospital.’”
Since Mike died, she said, there’s been a lot of “commotion”—with the service, the holidays, and then getting back to school.
That’s changing. Things are slowing down for her, as well. “So now, it’s starting to hit us. You’re realizing when you have something to say that he’s not going to be there to talk about it.”
Physically, she said, “I’m doing good,” but she’s learned she’s genetically predisposed to cancer. “So now, I’m just becoming friends with my oncologist,” she laughed.
How they cope
Mandy appears to be coping remarkably well. How does she do it?
“You truly rely on your friends and family, your village, your tribe, and our faith,” she said. “It’s just been overwhelming with the support that we’ve had. You don’t know how many people’s lives that you have touched until you go through something like this.”
Over the years, they’ve touched many. There are the folks at West Side Community Church, for instance.
“Mandy’s church has been really outstanding,” said John Depuy. “John Clark, the pastor over there, has been just a super person. He’s been over at their house, prayed with everybody.”
That’s just the beginning.
“Mike and Mandy had a huge number of friends who were a big help,” John continued. He mentioned all the work she did with the National Cherry Festival.
“I worked for the National Cherry Festival for 22 years,” Mandy explained. “I started as summer help [in] 1993 and through the years became office manager. Being in the event business there were a multitude of other events and projects I worked on with other festival staff.”
Mandy is also the Horse Specie Chair for the 4-H Northern Michigan Livestock Council. “I grew up in 4-H,” she said. “Both of the girls are in 4-H, as well. They have the horse bug, just like I do.” Evidently that comes naturally. Mandy’s father owns a horse farm near Chums Corner.
Now Mandy runs the family business, Oakwood Pet Memorial, a crematorium in Maple City. She also owns and operates EOS Storage in Lake Ann. Mike was a realtor for the Martin Company in Glen Arbor, where his mother, Pam is also a realtor.
Even with all the community support, through all of this, John said of Mandy, “She did pretty well on her own. She did a lot by herself. And the girls help with doing dishes, and they help around the house.”
How does she raise two lovely daughters when she has aggressive cancer, and her husband is dying?
“You really don’t know how strong you are until you have to be,” Mandy observed, “because you really have no choice. You have to pull through. You just do what you’ve gotta do for your family, and that pulls you through and gets you on to the next thing.”
John echoed that thought. “You just take it a day at a time. You just do it. You just take hour by hour and day by day.”
Mandy’s message
Although, Mike did take his concerns to his doctor for several years, Mandy wishes they had been more aggressive.
When Mike did bring it up, Mandy says, “The doctor said it wasn’t a big deal, ‘Just hemorrhoidal; no big thing.’ So we didn’t push for it,” she lamented. “If we had pushed for it, he would be here today.”
“So if our stories can uplift anybody, [our message] would be to get yourself checked out. If there’s something that just isn’t right, and you’re not getting answers from your doctor,” she advised, “then go see another doctor. Go get a second opinion.”
Mandy, 43, is fortunate her doctor, who is “old school,” pushed for an early mammogram. The medical community recently moved the age for a first mammogram from 40 to 45. “But if I had waited to 45,” she points out, “I wouldn’t be here.”
So she had her first mammogram at 42, which gave them a good baseline for the next year. The cancer was so aggressive, she says she wouldn’t be here now if she hadn’t started early.
Her message to all of us? “Be an advocate for your health. You have to be, these days.”
The game
The game will face-off at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23 at Centre Ice in East Bay Township near Traverse City. Sara expects it to be standing room only. Typically, the game sells out.
Mandy said she’s looking forward to the game. “Somebody asked who I’m going to root for. I know plenty on both sides, so I’m just going to say, ‘Let the best team win!’” she laughed.
Tickets are $5 at the door or online. T-shirts and other merchandise will be available along with a silent auction at 6 p.m.. Pre-game introductions begin at 6:30. There will be a puck toss between periods, a 50/50 raffle, and a puck shoot out—fun for all! Buy tickets early or donate at Guns N’ Hoses website, at Centre Ice, or at Bill Marsh Auto. Centre Ice is located off of Hammond Road in East Bay Township.
