A hole in our hearts (5/20/03)

We went to bed hoping it wasn’t true.

Stories circulated Friday evening about a plane crash involving four of our friends and neighbors.

But — despite repeated efforts — local authorities, federal aviation authorities, and The Associated Press were unable to confirm the accident before presstime.

So we went to bed hoping it wasn’t true.

Saturday dawned bleakly, bringing with it confirmation that what we had feared, what we had dreaded contemplating, had actually happened in a distant part of South Carolina.

Four lives had been ripped from the heart of this community. Four lives that had touched thousands more were suddenly gone.

That sort of loss is always painful, but it hurts more when they’re such good folks.

Friends recall the Bickels and the Mosers with something more than the usual warmth and fondness. There’s a real sense that something special has been lost.

Small communities are built from the lives of individuals like these, people who care about leaving the world a better place than they found it.

And small communities treasure leaders like Greg and Marianne Moser, who possessed the right combination of vision and personal commitment to make a lasting difference.

Truly, this is a sad time for the Jay County community. There’s a hole in our hearts today. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]