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Thousands mourn Ky. family
Nine Beachy Amish Mennonites died in highway crash
By Carmen K. Sisson For Mennonite Weekly ReviewMARROWBONE, Ky. — Hearts were heavy but cheeks were mostly dry March 30 as more than 3,000 mourners gathered to say goodbye to nine members of a Mennonite community who perished in a fiery crash on Interstate 65 near Munfordville.
Funeral director Menno Yoder, center, from Pleasant Ridge Mennonite Church in Wayne County, Ky., and men from Kentucky and Tennessee dig graves March 27 at a cemetery next to Marrowbone Christian Brotherhood in Marrowbone, Ky., for nine members of a Beachy Amish Mennonite community who died in a highway crash. — Photo by Billy Suratt/Apex MediaWire
Friends said John Esh, an associate pastor of Marrowbone Christian Brotherhood, a Beachy Amish Mennonite congregation, would have wanted it that way.
Esh, who died in the March 26 crash, dedicated his life to uplifting others, quietly leading by example, jubilantly celebrating in song.
Esh and his wife, Sadie, who also died in the crash, survived the loss of a son four years ago and a devastating house fire in December, yet their message never changed: Keep hope. Keep faith. Keep strong. Keep going.
It is that strength of spirit to which this 18-family community, nestled within the hills of south-central Kentucky, is clinging as the church struggles to accept the loss of nearly a tenth of its members.
The crash, which cost 11 lives, was believed to be the deadliest motor vehicle accident in Kentucky since 1988.
A tractor-trailer hauling brake drums left the southbound lane of I-65, crossed a 60-foot grass median, plowed through a cable barrier and struck a 15-passenger van head-on before hitting a rock embankment and bursting into flames.
Ten of the 12 Mennonites in the van — eight of whom were members of the Esh family and a ninth soon to be an in-law — died on impact.
Killed were John Esh, 64; his wife, Sadie, 62; their daughters, Rose, 40; Anna, 33; and Rachel, 20; Rachel’s fiancé, Joel Gingerich, 22; John and Sadie’s son, Leroy, 41; Leroy’s wife, Naomi, 33; Leroy and Naomi’s adopted son, Jalen, 2 months; and family friend Ashlie Kramer, 22, of Franklin. Truck driver Kenneth Laymon, 45, of Alabama, also died.
Leroy and Naomi Esh had two other adopted sons, Josiah and Johnny Esh, who survived the crash and will now be cared for by relatives in Pennsylvania.
Comments
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Words alone cannot express my sadness in this tragedy. My thoughts and prayers are with all at this time. May the spiritual strengths of your communities be a guide to all worldwide. Nigel Catt, Ashford - Kent, England
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