Downtown Rock Island “founding father” Dan Carmody was seriously injured and his wife, leading economic development veteran Vivian Carmody, was killed when the couple was struck by a car while walking to dinner in Detroit.
The crash occurred at 5:27 p.m. and the couple was immediately transported to an area hospital on Friday, Aug. 18, where Ms. Carmody was pronounced dead. Mr. Carmody, who was listed in stable condition, underwent ankle surgery on Saturday, Aug. 19, and is expected to recover, according to a news release from the Eastern Market Partnership, which he helps lead.
Detroit Police Chief James White said in a police department news release that the 29-year-old driver of the vehicle struck the couple before slamming into a tree. The driver was hospitalized with serious injuries. “The suspect, who is from Romulus (Michigan), was intoxicated both with narcotics and alcohol – he went through a possible overdose while he was driving, and lost control of the vehicle,” the chief said.
The suspect received Narcan at the scene and is expected to survive, he added. A warrant also was issued for the driver’s arrest on homicide charges by the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.
QC mourns leaders’ loss
The accident and Ms. Carmody’s death has left their friends and fellow developers reeling including at Detroit’s more than 125-year-old Eastern Market, which Mr. Carmody has led for more than 15 years.
“The Eastern Market family is deeply sorry for the Carmody family and will give our full support to Dan and his family through this incredibly sad and difficult time,” said market President Katy Trudeau in a news release. Ms. Trudeau will serve as interim CEO while Dan Carmody heals from his injuries, the market said.
Quad Citians who knew the couple well also are grieving Ms. Carmody today, including Liz Tallman, vice president of the Development Association of Rock Island (DARI), which Mr. Carmody was instrumental in creating decades ago. She said the organization sent the following email to DARI members on Sunday:
“Our hearts are broken today. Dan Carmody, our former leader at DARI and one of our founding fathers of downtown Rock Island, and his wife Vivian, were struck down by a car Friday night while walking to dinner in downtown Detroit. Vivian died due to the injuries she sustained, and Dan remains hospitalized from his injuries.
“The Carmody’s left a lasting legacy during their time here in Rock Island. We are lucky to have had Dan as our leader in our early years and even luckier that he married Vivian. The two made an amazing match that spurred community revitalization wherever they planted themselves. The world is a better place because of the work done by Dan and Vivian Carmody.
“Vivian, as much as Dan, left her mark on Main Street communities. Vivian had decades of work on downtown revitalization and blazed many new trails that resulted in livable, sustainable destinations celebrating arts, culture, preservation, and sustainability. We honor Vivian and her life’s work. We will not let her passing be in vain. We pray for Dan during his recovery as his new journey is a difficult one,” DARI said in its email to members.
The loss also was an “extreme blow” to Economic Growth Corporation in Rock Island and those who knew Vivian Carmody well, said Beth Payne, vice president of GROWTH.
The organization planned to post the following tribute on its website today: “We have lost a great community champion over the weekend. The headlines you read do not nearly showcase the impact Vivian has made in both the lives of her family but also the communities she served.
“Vivian and Dan Carmody worked as a team through Carmody Consulting, working closely with GROWTH and others like us in an effort to revitalize underserved communities. It is hard to picture one without the other. Vivian was a force and advocate for changing communities into livable, sustainable communities.
“She was passionate about making positive changes and walkable downtowns. She was a community champion celebrating arts, culture, and uniqueness that each community provides. The mark she has made in Main Street communities across the country will resonate for many years to come.
“We are grateful for the impact she has made in downtown communities like Rock Island and Muscatine. We mourn Vivian. We honor her legacy, her memory, and most importantly we will make each moment a moment to celebrate. We pray for Dan and his recovery. We mourn together with everyone that shares in this tragic loss. We promise to seize the dawn of every new day and continue our mission-driven revitalization. Godspeed Vivian.”
Power couple made difference
Former longtime Rock Island Mayor Mark Schwiebert told the QCBJ today “Dan and Vivian Carmody were a dynamic — one could say power — couple, whose substantial contributions to improving our downtown and neighborhoods in Rock Island were then replicated in more recent years in their adopted community of Detroit.”
He added, “We mourn with Dan and his entire family the tragic loss of Vivian’s vibrant life. And we wish him a swift recovery from his injuries and, as circumstances allow, resumption of his important work in Detroit.”
Ms. Carmody and her husband, Dan, have been frequent visitors to the Quad Cities that Mr. Carmody once called home, including serving more than 17 years as president of Renaissance Rock Island from May 1988 to November 2005.
According to Roger Ruthhart, the former managing editor of The Rock Island Argus and The Dispatch, Mr. Carmody’s “vision and impact on creating The (Rock Island) Arts & Entertainment District and its festivals was epic and way ahead of its time. We tried all kinds of events and weren’t afraid to try something totally new and fail because most of them didn’t.”
His influence is so lasting, Mr. Ruthhart said that the menu at Huckleberry’s Pizza in downtown Rock Island still features the Carmody Calzone, which the restaurant says is “Chicago style and inspired by Dan.”
Ms. Carmody boasted more than 20 years of downtown development, brand identity, marketing, and event management experience, according to the couple’s Carmody Consulting website.
Among the brand identity processes Ms. Carmody facilitated were the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation’s REVOLVE neighborhood revitalization program, the Detroit Food & Ag Network, the Detroit Food Policy Council, Trent Creative, and the Village of Franklin, Michigan.
She was a key team member in the Brand Development process for Yorktown Mall, a large regional mall located in Lombard, Illinois, and the Fort Wayne/Allen County Airport Authority, Fort Wayne, Indiana. She worked closely with communities through the Main Street program.
A public celebration will be held for Vivian Carmody once Dan Carmody recovers, the Eastern Market website said.
