LilMtnCbn
06-28-2004, 09:57 AM
http://www.fox21.com/Global/story.asp?S=1973435&nav=2KPpOFOy
Couple Adopted A Baby Before Dying in Helicopter Crash
Email to a Friend Printer Friendly Version
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) - A sign announcing the adoption of a baby is no longer
a mark of happiness outside Kendall and Kelly Loudermilk's home.
The Loudermilks died Sunday in a helicopter crash a few hours after they
dropped their 13-month-old son off at their minister's home.
The couple and one of Kendall's flying instructors, Wyatt Rogers, 27, also of
Spartanburg, died in the crash. The Loudermilks were going to Florida for
Kelly's grandmother's funeral when they crashed about 50 miles south of
Atlanta. The helicopter went down around 5:45 a.m. behind a home in a wooded
rural area near Barnesville, Ga.
Lamar County Sheriff Larry Waller said the chartered Robinson R44 helicopter
left Greenville Downtown Airport at 3 a.m. and was headed to Apalachicola
Municipal Airport in Florida.
The Loudermilks' deaths shocked many of those who knew them.
The Rev. Larry Holland said he canceled services at his Bethesda Baptist Church
after Kelly's mother, Rita Cochran, called him from Florida to tell him the
tragic news.
"It just upset everybody so much," Holland said.
The Loudermilks lived next door to Kelly's parents.
"She and her mother was extremely close," Holland said. "Most kids stray away
from their parents, but they were extremely close."
Tonya Fuller, a childhood friend of 30-year-old Kelly, said the couple had been
married about three years.
"(Kelly) prayed that before God took her that she wanted a child," Fuller said.
"Every child loved her because she was full of energy and fun to be around."
Kendall, 32, was a Spartanburg firefighter, but flying was his passion.
Kendall's co-workers said he already had a license to fly privately and was
working toward earning his commercial license.
"Losing Kendall is a tremendous loss to this department, the fire service and
even more of a loss to anybody who knew him because he was a great person,"
said Sgt. Michael Roper.
-------------------------
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail . . . but, a true friend will
be sitting next to you saying, "Damn . . . that was fun!"
-----Unknown
Couple Adopted A Baby Before Dying in Helicopter Crash
Email to a Friend Printer Friendly Version
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) - A sign announcing the adoption of a baby is no longer
a mark of happiness outside Kendall and Kelly Loudermilk's home.
The Loudermilks died Sunday in a helicopter crash a few hours after they
dropped their 13-month-old son off at their minister's home.
The couple and one of Kendall's flying instructors, Wyatt Rogers, 27, also of
Spartanburg, died in the crash. The Loudermilks were going to Florida for
Kelly's grandmother's funeral when they crashed about 50 miles south of
Atlanta. The helicopter went down around 5:45 a.m. behind a home in a wooded
rural area near Barnesville, Ga.
Lamar County Sheriff Larry Waller said the chartered Robinson R44 helicopter
left Greenville Downtown Airport at 3 a.m. and was headed to Apalachicola
Municipal Airport in Florida.
The Loudermilks' deaths shocked many of those who knew them.
The Rev. Larry Holland said he canceled services at his Bethesda Baptist Church
after Kelly's mother, Rita Cochran, called him from Florida to tell him the
tragic news.
"It just upset everybody so much," Holland said.
The Loudermilks lived next door to Kelly's parents.
"She and her mother was extremely close," Holland said. "Most kids stray away
from their parents, but they were extremely close."
Tonya Fuller, a childhood friend of 30-year-old Kelly, said the couple had been
married about three years.
"(Kelly) prayed that before God took her that she wanted a child," Fuller said.
"Every child loved her because she was full of energy and fun to be around."
Kendall, 32, was a Spartanburg firefighter, but flying was his passion.
Kendall's co-workers said he already had a license to fly privately and was
working toward earning his commercial license.
"Losing Kendall is a tremendous loss to this department, the fire service and
even more of a loss to anybody who knew him because he was a great person,"
said Sgt. Michael Roper.
-------------------------
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail . . . but, a true friend will
be sitting next to you saying, "Damn . . . that was fun!"
-----Unknown
