Photo by Carte Bisbee - Pictured are Derik Nissell's nephews, Steven Nissell (infant) and Grayson Dickey, along with Derik's niece, Lilly Nissell.
Derik S. Nissell, a local resident who graduated from South Bend High School, was in his mid-twenties when his untimely death on February 29, 2016, sent a shockwave throughout the community of South Bend.
Nissell's obituary recalls that "Derik had a kind soul and would be there for anyone who needed his help," and it's this characteristic of Nissell that has inspired a new charitable event in the form of the Derik Nissell Toy Drive, which strives to spread the spirit of care that Nissell himself exemplified.
During Derik's two years of working at the Westport Shipyard, he had an impact on how people there approached the toy drive the shipyard sponsors. At Derik's memorial, the workers from the shipyard all spoke highly of Derik's genuine effort to bring a toy for every day of the annual event.
"Derik always brought a toy everyday -- a toy for whenever they [the shipyard] had their drive, and he usually brought the majority of the toys," recalled Susie Wiesel, a family friend and supporter of the newly established local toy drive in honor of Derik.
"He was just very diligent about it, and he would check to make sure there were enough girl and boy toys," added Lisa Olsen, another family friend assisting with organizing the new toy drive event.
With Nissell's concern for needy kids in mind, for the first Christmas without Derik a handful of people in Pacific County came together to continue charitable work in his memory by starting what is to be an annual toy drive bearing his name, and organizers hope the drive will gain momentum with each year the event is held.
The toy drive will begin in November every year, giving people the opportunity to donate brand new toys for children in need. It's also notable that the Derik Nissell Toy Drive will function in collaboration with the original toy drive sponsored by the shipyard to which Derik used to contribute.
When the Herald spoke to organizers on Dec. 13, the Westport Shipyard alone had already collected a total of 400 toys. But by the end of the toy drive effort, when both Pacific County and the shipyard had counted their totals, Derik's mother, Joyce Kidd, confirmed that 1,200 toys had been gathered altogether.
The donation of these new toys will be made to the children of both Pacific and Grays Harbor counties. The toys were picked up from their locations on Dec. 13.
Drop-off sites included the Pacific County General Administration office located at the Pacific County Courthouse; the Pacific County Treasurer's Office, also located at the courthouse; Pioneer Grocery in South Bend; and Flowers By Lynne in Raymond.
All of those toys that were collected went to help the toy drive realize its purpose of delivering the simple yet sometimes overlooked experience of affording every child the opportunity to unwrap the gift of a new toy for Christmas. It seems likely that Derik would heartily approve.