AUBURN – It’s been a rough couple of months for Barry and Trish Peacock.

Barry lost a leg in October when his Jeep collided with a delivery truck on Route 4 in Turner. The Jeep was destroyed, and last week the engine failed in the family’s other car – a 1985 Buick Regal. Then, just this week, the furnace in their Livermore home quit.

Thank God for angels and a 1998 Dodge Caravan.

Lee Auto Mall in Auburn donated the van to the Peacocks, hoping it might help them turn around their run of bad luck. As Trish drove away from the Center Street auto dealer Wednesday morning, she was surrounded by sales managers, staff and service personnel.

But she saw heavenly beings.

“Just right down from the sky, just like angels,” Trish said. “I can’t believe that people like this are still around. It’s just amazing.”

The family has plenty of angels, she said. The people of Livermore and fellow members of the North Livermore Baptist Church have rallied around the Peacocks. The church has raised about $1,600 to help the family, Pastor Rick Messana said.

Greg Perry, a service technician at Lee Auto Mall, said he and his wife attended one of the benefits and decided to see if he could do more. He gave a newspaper clipping about the family’s plight to sales director Bill Menke.

He knew they needed a car and he thought the dealership might be able to help, Menke said. “I figured if we could find a way to get them a car, they could use that money for something else.”

That money now will help repair his furnace, Barry Peacock said.

He said he remembered little from the Oct. 2 crash. The couple had gone to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles office in Lewiston and were heading home. Trish had fallen asleep in the passenger seat.

“I remember passing the Chickadee, and shortly thereafter we had the accident,” Barry said. He couldn’t recall that his Jeep crossed the center line or how it collided with the delivery truck.

Trish woke after the crash. “She had a few cuts on her head, but she was mostly unscathed,” Barry said.

Not so for Barry. He lost his left leg and his spleen and suffered bruises to his face.

“It’s not what I’d choose to happen, but you don’t always get a say about that,” he said. “All you can do is roll with the punches.”

The next punch came a few weeks ago. With the Jeep demolished in the accident, the family had to rely on their 22-year-old Buick Regal. The engine began sputtering and needed nearly $600 worth of work. They paid, only to have it fail once and for all last week.

“Then our furnace went out,” Barry said. “No heat, no hot water. We’re really looking forward to getting that fixed and getting a decent shower.”

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