MUNSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A beloved family business in Geauga County is working to rebuild and regain its footing.
It comes more than six months after a cruiser driven by a Geauga County Sheriff Deputy crashed into a pickup truck, pushing it right through the front of the store.
RELATED: Geauga County Sheriff Deputy injured, business heavily damaged in crash
That accident caused total devastation to Farley's Country Store.
It's been closed ever since.
Tim and Carol Yapel, who own and operate the store, say it's been a challenging year.
News 5's Mike Holden recently interviewed the long-time couple about their road to recovery and ongoing efforts to reopen.
Tim Yapel tragically passed away, dying of a heart attack right before Easter and shortly after News 5 spoke with him.
Carol Yapel says she is shattered by his passing, coupled with the store being destroyed by this accident.
But she says she's determined to rebuild in his memory, one day.
She says she will hold on to this story and their final moments forever.
The store has been around for nearly 100 years.
"It's deep rooted for sure," Yapel said.
Farley's Country Store has operated as an iconic, community staple of sorts, on the busy corner of Mayfield Road and 44 in Munson Township.
"They'll be in their 60s, 70s and 80s and they'll be going—Oh I remember coming in here when I was a little girl," Tim Yapel said.
For now, it sits empty.
All of their merchandise was wiped off the shelves, windows boarded up, and temporary plywood blocking the front of it.
The Yapels invited News 5 inside and shared their emotional road to recovery.
"It's my life! Yeah, It's all I know," Carol Yapel said.
The Yapels are used to the traffic outside their business and home, but what happened on October 29 and the reason they're now closed still haunts them.
"This was big! And it was solid," Yapel said.
"She said the building's been hit, and we went around and looked out down the hallway into the store. And the window and the door had blown out down the hall," Tim Yapel said.
The couple attempted to look outside and spotted two mangled vehicles with their homemade candles, dolls, and handmade items strewn everywhere.
"It looked like a bomb went off! I called 911, and they said an officer is on the scene and this is all in 20 seconds. Twenty seconds. Then the deputy came up and said 'I'm sorry, sir. I caused an accident,'" Yapel said.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol reports a marked Geauga County Sheriff's cruiser traveling south on 44 did not yield and hit a Dodge Ram, pushing both vehicles right into the business.
The deputy driving the cruiser sustained minor injuries as he was rushing to a domestic violence call.
The other driver sustained injuries as well.
"My immediate response? This isn't good," Carol Yapel said.
Clean-up has been daunting and stressful working with two restoration companies to rebuild.
"It was literally debris all the way back to here, and right where we're standing," Tim Yapel said.
But Carol Tapel remains determined.
As a folk artist, she's still working on her homemade candles and her eclectic, hand-sewn collector dolls.
"The quirkier the better," Yapel said.
Yapel shared with News 5 that after we filmed the story, her husband tragically died of a heart attack the Saturday before Easter, just a few days shy of his 64th birthday.
She says he was the love of her life, her selfless protector, her supporter, her everything.
She says she knows he's still watching over her.
As she grapples with his loss and attempts to heal, she's looking to re-open the store in his memory one day, for him.
"One thing I learned is you're not guaranteed tomorrow," Yapel said.
"We're thankful. Thankful because it could've been so much worse," Tim Yapel previously said about the accident.
The Yapels were married for 23 years.
Carol Yapel says she will cherish every day she spent with her late husband.
Tim Yapel's visitation is set for Thursday, with a funeral planned for Friday.
A spokesperson with the Geauga County Sheriff's office reports that the deputy who caused the crash had previously taken a job with Chardon police right before this incident occurred.
He was issued two traffic citations for failure to yield and failure to wear a seatbelt.
It's all been settled in court, and the case is closed.
