OSP identifies Crescent man killed in Highway 97 crash; family mourns the loss of a ‘wonderful man with a big heart’

(Update: OSP identifies victim; background from family)

La PINE, Ore. (KTVZ) – Oregon State Police on Tuesday identified a Crescent man who was killed when he lost control of his car on icy Highway 97 south of La Pine and collided with a semi-truck. A grieving sister shared photos and memories of Leif Celusta, a "wonderful man with a big heart."

Troopers said the two-vehicle crash occurred around 8:45 a.m. Monday near milepost 176,  about seven miles north of Gilchrist.

The preliminary OSP investigation found that Leif Taylor Celusta, 34, was at the wheel of a northbound Buick LeSabre when he lost control and crossed into the southbound lane, hitting a southbound Kenworth commercial motor vehicle and trailer driven by a 58-year-old Madras man.

Celusta died at the scene, troopers said. The truck driver, a 58-year-old Madras man, was reportedly uninjured.

"Speed and roadway conditions are being considered primary causes of the crash," troopers said in a news release

The highway was closed for about two hours during the on-scene investigation. OSP was assisted by Crescent Fire and ODOT.

Celusta’s younger sister, Noelle Celusta of Eugene, reached out to KTVZ News to share a few photos and the memories of Leif’s family, “who loves and misses him.” She told us he was born in Rexburg, Idaho, and they grew up in Eugene.

Here's what she had to share about her brother:

"Leif was a wonderful man with a big heart. Kids and animals loved him, and he was genuinely kind to everyone. He wasn't a pushover and knew right from wrong, often sticking up for people who have been marginalized in society.

"He was raucously funny, and one of the only true geniuses I've ever known. He loved studying car mechanics and spending real quality time with his family. Everything he did, he did with purpose and with his whole heart.

"He was a jack-of-all-trades. He taught himself how to tailor clothing as a teenager, and then how to build computers and write software in his 20s, in his mid-20s, he became skilled as an electrician, and by his late 20s, he moved on to learning how to build his own cars - Buicks being his favorite to learn and build. He was always tinkering to figure out how things ticked.

"His favorite thing was taking road trips in the summertime to visit new places and make new friends. He gave up money when it made him miserable, so he decided to measure his success by his happiness and health. By that, I couldn't imagine someone succeeding more in life.

"He cared immensely about the people around him. Sometimes, he would tell me that he wasn't afraid of death [ he was only worried about what he would leave behind. What he left behind was a family determined to live up to the legacy of a wonderful son and brother.

"He was greeted in heaven by our dad, Paul Celusta, our niece, Jordyn Celusta, our uncle, Stephan "Heklina" Grygelko, and his best fuzzy friend, Courage the Dog."

Leif is survived by his brothers, Orion and Patrick, his sisters, Noelle and Alyssa, and his mother, Elizabeth.