A small aircraft crashed into a minister's house in Mississippi Tuesday night, killing the pastor and all three people in the plane.
According to The Christian Post, a Mitsubishi M-2B-60 crashed into the home of Gerry Standley, the assistant pastor of Wayside Holy Temple church. The pilot was identified as the 67-year old Louis Provenza, while the passengers include the 23-year old Anna Calhoun and two-year old Harper Provenza.
The pastor's wife, daughter and grandson were able to get out of the house which caught fire. They only suffered minor injuries.
Miranda Williams set up a GoFundMe account to help the Standleys pay for the funeral, bills and replacement of the belongings lost in the fire.
Williams said in the fundraiser page that the minister and his wife just celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary last month.
"Gerry was an Assistant Pastor for his Church and also worked for Warren Paving full time, to help provide for their family. Melinda is the Division Manager for Hattiesburg Police Department's 911 Communications Center," she added.
Gerry's niece, Charlisha, also organized a fish fry on Friday to raise money for her uncle's family.
"Even though I am hurting, I'm still trying to do the best I can to help my family because we need it," she said.
Cobrin Varnado, Gerry's brother, stated that the pastor loved everyone and was loved by all, too.
"We can't replace him. We can't do what he did, but his young brothers, his sons, his nephews, we can come together and uphold the family like he would. He was a remarkable man. I admire him so much just from his relationship with God, his relationship with his wife, his family. He connected with everyone. Everyone loved him, he loved everyone. It's going to be tough to be without him," Varnado shared.
To honor his memory, the family and friends of the minister will gather on Saturday afternoon for a candlelight vigil and balloon release.
Those who would want to support the Standleys in this time of need can donate to the GoFundMe page Miranda created.
Other casualties
The pilot was a neurosurgeon at United Regional Physician Group.
"We are so very saddened about the loss of Dr. Louis Provenza. He has touched the lives of so many and will be greatly missed," the medical group stated.
Calhoun was a biology student at Midwestern State University in Texas.
The people in the flight were traveling to the city for a graduation ceremony of a family member at University of Southern Mississippi (USM).
"My heart breaks for our student and her family, and for our community members and their family," USM President Rodney D. Bennett said.
The cause of the crash has yet to be determined. The investigation is handled by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Hattiesburg American reported.
NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson revealed that the plane took off from Wichita Falls and was preparing for landing at Bobby L. Chain Municipal Airport when it crashed at 11:22 p.m. in Hattiesburg on Tuesday. Authorities were reportedly not aware of any distress call from the Mitsubishi aircraft but air traffic recordings have yet to be reviewed.
