Keeping the Faith
PENN TWP — Justin Relihan has a special appreciation for his Christian faith — especially when it comes to hunting.
And his neighbors.
Relihan and his daughters, Kelsea, 12, and Jordyn, 9, enjoy the deer bowhunting season. Relihan has harvested numerous bucks through the years. Kelsea bagged a 10-point buck last year, Jordyn a 7-point this year.
“My father was never a hunter, but once he saw I was interested in the sport, he hooked me up with my Sunday school teacher,” Relihan said.
“He and another teacher I did Bible study with were hunters. They took me out hunting with them. That's how I got started.”
He's never stopped. Relihan has been hunting for approximately 25 years.
He and wife Hollie moved into their Penn Township home 15 years ago. A year later, Relihan was working in his garden when he first met his neighbor, Doug Fleming.
“Doug came over and introduced himself,” Relihan said. “We got to talking and I learned about his story.”
Fleming had been an avid hunter himself. His life drastically changed Oct. 7, 1999.On that day, he fell from a tree stand, landing on the side of his head. He was 42 at the time.“He is one of God's miracles,” said Judy Fleming, Doug's wife. “Doctors told us he would never be able to walk or talk again.“We never gave up on him. Doug never gave up on himself. He kept fighting and working to get back as much as he could. He had brain surgery three different times. He's missing half the brain on his left side.”Yet Doug Fleming is walking today. He speaks slowly, but comprehends everything said to him.“I'm in business for myself,” Relihan said. “Doug would ride with me on my delivery routes. We just hung out and our relationship grew from there.“They have 100 acres of property next door. He used to hunt there. When Doug found out I was a hunter, he invited me to hunt on his property.”Appreciating the huntIt is a treasured gesture.“Now my daughters and I hunt there. That's where they got their first bucks. I've gotten 10 or 12 bucks in there, maybe more. It's nice not having to drive anywhere to hunt,” he said.Rehlihan's daughters appreciate it as well.“All we have to do is go out the back door,” Kelsea said of hunting with her father. “We're out there maybe four or five hours at a time. It's fun.”Once her older sister became a hunter, Jordyn wanted to follow suit.“It looked like fun,” she said. “I couldn't wait. Once I saw (her first buck) come into the light, I couldn't believe it. Just aim and shoot.”Doug Fleming is as happy as the Relihan family when they find success in his woods.“He loves the fact the property is being used,” his wife said. “The Relihans are wonderful people. We help them, they help us. They are fantastic neighbors. It's a blessing to live next door to them.”Relihan's son, Connor, is into fishing and turkey hunting. Hollie Relihan does not hunt herself, but cleans and processes the deer meat.“We don't kill anything we can't eat,” Justin Relihan said, smiling.
Doug Fleming has returned to the woods himself. His family built a small cabin-like structure on the property a few years ago, and they bring him out there during hunting season.“I don't think he's gotten anything, but he loves being out there, just being part of the hunting atmosphere again,” Relihan said.“Judy and Doug are beautiful Christian people. We've developed a fantastic relationship with them.”While Relihan appreciates his faith, his neighbors have kept theirs.“There's a reason why stuff happens,” Judy Fleming said. “A precious family came into our lives ... and we're OK.”
