Community rallies to rename post office in memory of Bucks County flash flood victim
WASHINGTON CROSSING, Pa. (CBS) -- Five adults and two children were killed when historic rainfall caused flash flooding in Bucks County.
Two months later, an effort is underway to honor one of the victims.
READ MORE: Vigil held at Garden of Reflection to honor Bucks County flash flood victims
Susan Barnhart spent almost two years working at the post office on River Road in Washington Crossing.
Customers like Bob Stevenson remember seeing her smiling face behind the front counter.
"A blessing. Sunshine. Something somebody that you'd like to walk into when you see their face in the morning. Just lightens you up," Stevenson recalled.
This post office could one day bear her name.
Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick introduced a bill earlier this month to rename the post office to the Susan C. Barnhart Post Office as a symbol of her dedication to the community.
"I think it's a wonderful idea. She's a hero. She's a wonderful person. Everybody loved her. Everybody loved seeing her and her dog and it's so tragic that she died in that storm," Frank Gunther said.
Barnhart was one of seven people who drowned when torrential downpours led to flash flooding in Bucks County on July 15.
The body of 9-month-old Conrad Sheils was never found. The community is still grieving.
"What a shame," Stevenson said. "It was such a disaster. Mind boggling, that weather could do that like that."
In the wake of the tragedy, the proposal to rename the post office is gaining a lot of support.
Gunther said it would be a lasting tribute to a beloved member of the community.
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"She was always smiling. She was just, you felt happy coming in here. So it was very nice. She's very much missed," Gunther said.
There's no timeline on when the bill will be brought up for discussion, but it first has to get approval from all the members of the Pennsylvania delegation before going to an oversight committee and the House.
