Timmy Vachon Memorial
(life-size)

An enjoyable weekend ended suddenly and tragically when 7-year-old Timmy Vachon, skiing downhill, collided with a snowmobile driven by a ski patrol member en route to aid an injured skier. Timmy died as a result of the head injuries. It wasn't long before there was talk of doing something special to honor and remember Timmy. Janice was chosen to do a life-size bronze statue of Timmy, noting that portraiture, and children in particular, is her forte. This work proved to be especially challenging. In order to create a three-dimensional likeness from photos, many angles must be represented, especially a profile view. While these are normally available, the Vachon home had been struck by lightning and burned to the ground six months earlier, and all such photos were lost in the fire. Family and friends were able to provide just enough pictures for Janice to complete the project. When Timmy's mother, Anne, came to the studio to give her approval of the clay rendering, prior to beginning the molding/casting process, her reaction was not unexpected: "It looks just like him. Ironically, it's Trimpe's gift that gives the statue "life" - and this will last forever."