Funeral services for Miss Cara Elizabeth Descant will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, January 12, 2019 in the chapel of Hixson Brothers Funeral Home with Pastor Eric Descant and Pastor Richard Newman officiating. Interment will be in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery #2 in Marksville. Arrangements are under the direction of Hixson Brothers Funeral Home of Marksville.
Cara Descant, age 13, of Marksville, passed away on January 3, 2019. Cara was an eighth grader at Avoyelles Public Charter School and will always be remembered for the impact she made. She loved her teachers and her classmates and tried to help them in any way she could. A member of the Fierce Team and Honor Choir, Cara thrived on taking leadership roles and working with others. Many students turned to her for extra tutoring, which she was always happy to provide. Whether she was making stockings for the nursing home residents, sewing dresses for the Haiti girls, or raising money for school outings, Cara was a worker. She had already decided her goal was to become a math teacher to return to teach at her Alma mater. Cara's whole life was based on living God's word. She loved her family, teachers, and classmates and wasn't afraid to share her convictions with them. She walked in the light of God and truly lived His word every day. She will be greatly missed by everyone.
Those left to cherish her memory include her parents, Joshua Paul Descant of Evergreen and Ali Sprinkle Laborde (Layne) of Marksville; one brother, Samuel Sprinkle of Foley, AL; one sister, Erica Strohman of Katy, TX; one step-sister, Cassie Bordelon of San Antonio, TX; paternal grandparents, Lyn and Christine Bordelon of Hessmer, Kerry Descant of Evergreen; Fred and Donna Gullet of Cottonport; paternal step-grandparents, Charles and Vickie Laborde of Hessmer; maternal grandparents, Stanley Sprinkle and Monique of Marksville; maternal grandmother, Monica Sprinkle of Cottonport; aunt, Rebecca Mullins (Scott) of Durham, N.C.; uncle, Scott Descant (Cherie) of Lone Pine. Visitation will be held on Friday, January 11, 2019 from 5:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. and will resume Saturday from 8:00 a.m. until time of funeral service.
Those honored to serve as pallbearers will be Kane Strohman, Samuel Sprinkle, Scott Descant, Joseph Barr, Sr., Charles Laborde, Kyle Couvillion, and Stanley Sprinkle.
5 Children Heading to Disney Killed in Fiery Florida Crash
By Tyler Barker
Jan 05, 2019, 08:46 am
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A church van packed with children was headed to Walt Disney World when it got caught in a fiery pileup involving two 18-wheelers. Seven people, including five of the youngsters, died in the crash. On Friday, investigators tried to determine what triggered the accident, which happened outside Gainesville in clear weather on a straight, flat stretch of Interstate 75, a busy highway that connects Florida to the rest of the South. Two vehicles traveling north — a tractor-trailer and a car — smashed into each other and then burst through a metal guardrail, slamming into another semitrailer and the southbound van carrying the children. Diesel fuel leaked, and the mass erupted into a fireball, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
A fifth car, unable to avoid the chaos, sped through and hit people who were thrown from the van, the highway patrol said. Five of the children from a Pentecostal church in Marksville, Louisiana, and the two truck drivers died. At least eight others were injured, some seriously. “It is a heartbreaking event,” Lt. Patrick Riordan said Friday. He did not identify the church involved, but a member of the Avoyelles House of Mercy told The Gainesville Sun on Friday that her church was stunned. The children ranged in age from 9 to 14. “It’s unbelievable. Everybody is in shock. We lost five of our children,” church member Maxine Doughty said. “We had our Last Supper Sunday, and the pastor said to live our lives like each day is the last day.” Church officials did not immediately respond to phone calls. In a statement posted on the United Pentecostal Church International’s Facebook page, Louisiana district superintendent Kevin Cox said a pregnant woman injured in the crash and her unborn child had been stabilized. Cox also said church pastor Eric Descant’s 50-year-old wife, Karen, was critically injured and his granddaughter was among the children killed.
The highway patrol says a truck driven by Steve Holland, 59, of West Palm Beach, was traveling north in the far-right lane when his truck suddenly veered left and collided with a car driven by Robyn Rattray, 41, of Gainesville. Both the truck and car went out of control and through the center divider, where Holland’s truck plowed into the church van, driven by Amy Joffiron, 49, causing it to flip several times and eject some of the nine children on board. The highway patrol said it is unknown if any were wearing seatbelts. Holland’s truck then struck a truck driven by Douglas Bolkema, 49, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, who was also traveling south. Both trucks and Rattray’s car caught fire, and a fifth vehicle hit at least one of the ejected van passengers. Rattray and Joffrion suffered serious injuries, as did the four surviving children, who were also ages 9 to 14. They remain hospitalized, as did Karen Descant.
Authorities identified the dead children as Joel Cloud and Jeremiah Warren, both 14; Cara Descant, 13; Brieanna Descant, 10; and Cierra Bordelon, 9. The relationship between the Descant girls and the pastor was not immediately available.
Court records show Holland received numerous tickets between 2000 and 2014 in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Virginia for violations such as speeding, driving an unsafe vehicle, driving an overloaded vehicle and not carrying proof of insurance. Bolkema received a ticket in 1997 for following too closely.
Vinnie DeVita said he was driving south and narrowly escaped the crash. He saw it in the rearview mirror, immediately behind him according to a report by Orlando television station WKMG . “If I had stepped on the brake when I heard the noise, undoubtedly, I would have been in that accident,” DeVita said. “And then within probably 15 to 20 seconds of it all, it exploded. I mean, just a ball of flames.”
https://woay.tv/5-children-heading-to-disney-killed-in-fiery-florida-crash/
Cara Descant, age 13, of Marksville, passed away on January 3, 2019. Cara was an eighth grader at Avoyelles Public Charter School and will always be remembered for the impact she made. She loved her teachers and her classmates and tried to help them in any way she could. A member of the Fierce Team and Honor Choir, Cara thrived on taking leadership roles and working with others. Many students turned to her for extra tutoring, which she was always happy to provide. Whether she was making stockings for the nursing home residents, sewing dresses for the Haiti girls, or raising money for school outings, Cara was a worker. She had already decided her goal was to become a math teacher to return to teach at her Alma mater. Cara's whole life was based on living God's word. She loved her family, teachers, and classmates and wasn't afraid to share her convictions with them. She walked in the light of God and truly lived His word every day. She will be greatly missed by everyone.
Those left to cherish her memory include her parents, Joshua Paul Descant of Evergreen and Ali Sprinkle Laborde (Layne) of Marksville; one brother, Samuel Sprinkle of Foley, AL; one sister, Erica Strohman of Katy, TX; one step-sister, Cassie Bordelon of San Antonio, TX; paternal grandparents, Lyn and Christine Bordelon of Hessmer, Kerry Descant of Evergreen; Fred and Donna Gullet of Cottonport; paternal step-grandparents, Charles and Vickie Laborde of Hessmer; maternal grandparents, Stanley Sprinkle and Monique of Marksville; maternal grandmother, Monica Sprinkle of Cottonport; aunt, Rebecca Mullins (Scott) of Durham, N.C.; uncle, Scott Descant (Cherie) of Lone Pine. Visitation will be held on Friday, January 11, 2019 from 5:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. and will resume Saturday from 8:00 a.m. until time of funeral service.
Those honored to serve as pallbearers will be Kane Strohman, Samuel Sprinkle, Scott Descant, Joseph Barr, Sr., Charles Laborde, Kyle Couvillion, and Stanley Sprinkle.
5 Children Heading to Disney Killed in Fiery Florida Crash
By Tyler Barker
Jan 05, 2019, 08:46 am
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A church van packed with children was headed to Walt Disney World when it got caught in a fiery pileup involving two 18-wheelers. Seven people, including five of the youngsters, died in the crash. On Friday, investigators tried to determine what triggered the accident, which happened outside Gainesville in clear weather on a straight, flat stretch of Interstate 75, a busy highway that connects Florida to the rest of the South. Two vehicles traveling north — a tractor-trailer and a car — smashed into each other and then burst through a metal guardrail, slamming into another semitrailer and the southbound van carrying the children. Diesel fuel leaked, and the mass erupted into a fireball, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
A fifth car, unable to avoid the chaos, sped through and hit people who were thrown from the van, the highway patrol said. Five of the children from a Pentecostal church in Marksville, Louisiana, and the two truck drivers died. At least eight others were injured, some seriously. “It is a heartbreaking event,” Lt. Patrick Riordan said Friday. He did not identify the church involved, but a member of the Avoyelles House of Mercy told The Gainesville Sun on Friday that her church was stunned. The children ranged in age from 9 to 14. “It’s unbelievable. Everybody is in shock. We lost five of our children,” church member Maxine Doughty said. “We had our Last Supper Sunday, and the pastor said to live our lives like each day is the last day.” Church officials did not immediately respond to phone calls. In a statement posted on the United Pentecostal Church International’s Facebook page, Louisiana district superintendent Kevin Cox said a pregnant woman injured in the crash and her unborn child had been stabilized. Cox also said church pastor Eric Descant’s 50-year-old wife, Karen, was critically injured and his granddaughter was among the children killed.
The highway patrol says a truck driven by Steve Holland, 59, of West Palm Beach, was traveling north in the far-right lane when his truck suddenly veered left and collided with a car driven by Robyn Rattray, 41, of Gainesville. Both the truck and car went out of control and through the center divider, where Holland’s truck plowed into the church van, driven by Amy Joffiron, 49, causing it to flip several times and eject some of the nine children on board. The highway patrol said it is unknown if any were wearing seatbelts. Holland’s truck then struck a truck driven by Douglas Bolkema, 49, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, who was also traveling south. Both trucks and Rattray’s car caught fire, and a fifth vehicle hit at least one of the ejected van passengers. Rattray and Joffrion suffered serious injuries, as did the four surviving children, who were also ages 9 to 14. They remain hospitalized, as did Karen Descant.
Authorities identified the dead children as Joel Cloud and Jeremiah Warren, both 14; Cara Descant, 13; Brieanna Descant, 10; and Cierra Bordelon, 9. The relationship between the Descant girls and the pastor was not immediately available.
Court records show Holland received numerous tickets between 2000 and 2014 in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Virginia for violations such as speeding, driving an unsafe vehicle, driving an overloaded vehicle and not carrying proof of insurance. Bolkema received a ticket in 1997 for following too closely.
Vinnie DeVita said he was driving south and narrowly escaped the crash. He saw it in the rearview mirror, immediately behind him according to a report by Orlando television station WKMG . “If I had stepped on the brake when I heard the noise, undoubtedly, I would have been in that accident,” DeVita said. “And then within probably 15 to 20 seconds of it all, it exploded. I mean, just a ball of flames.”
https://woay.tv/5-children-heading-to-disney-killed-in-fiery-florida-crash/
Funeral services for Miss Cara Elizabeth Descant will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, January 12, 2019 in the chapel of Hixson Brothers Funeral Home with Pastor Eric Descant and Pastor Richard Newman officiating. Interment will be in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery #2 in Marksville. Arrangements are under the direction of Hixson Brothers Funeral Home of Marksville.
Cara Descant, age 13, of Marksville, passed away on January 3, 2019. Cara was an eighth grader at Avoyelles Public Charter School and will always be remembered for the impact she made. She loved her teachers and her classmates and tried to help them in any way she could. A member of the Fierce Team and Honor Choir, Cara thrived on taking leadership roles and working with others. Many students turned to her for extra tutoring, which she was always happy to provide. Whether she was making stockings for the nursing home residents, sewing dresses for the Haiti girls, or raising money for school outings, Cara was a worker. She had already decided her goal was to become a math teacher to return to teach at her Alma mater. Cara's whole life was based on living God's word. She loved her family, teachers, and classmates and wasn't afraid to share her convictions with them. She walked in the light of God and truly lived His word every day. She will be greatly missed by everyone.
Those left to cherish her memory include her parents, Joshua Paul Descant of Evergreen and Ali Sprinkle Laborde (Layne) of Marksville; one brother, Samuel Sprinkle of Foley, AL; one sister, Erica Strohman of Katy, TX; one step-sister, Cassie Bordelon of San Antonio, TX; paternal grandparents, Lyn and Christine Bordelon of Hessmer, Kerry Descant of Evergreen; Fred and Donna Gullet of Cottonport; paternal step-grandparents, Charles and Vickie Laborde of Hessmer; maternal grandparents, Stanley Sprinkle and Monique of Marksville; maternal grandmother, Monica Sprinkle of Cottonport; aunt, Rebecca Mullins (Scott) of Durham, N.C.; uncle, Scott Descant (Cherie) of Lone Pine. Visitation will be held on Friday, January 11, 2019 from 5:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. and will resume Saturday from 8:00 a.m. until time of funeral service.
Those honored to serve as pallbearers will be Kane Strohman, Samuel Sprinkle, Scott Descant, Joseph Barr, Sr., Charles Laborde, Kyle Couvillion, and Stanley Sprinkle.
5 Children Heading to Disney Killed in Fiery Florida Crash
By Tyler Barker
Jan 05, 2019, 08:46 am
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A church van packed with children was headed to Walt Disney World when it got caught in a fiery pileup involving two 18-wheelers. Seven people, including five of the youngsters, died in the crash. On Friday, investigators tried to determine what triggered the accident, which happened outside Gainesville in clear weather on a straight, flat stretch of Interstate 75, a busy highway that connects Florida to the rest of the South. Two vehicles traveling north — a tractor-trailer and a car — smashed into each other and then burst through a metal guardrail, slamming into another semitrailer and the southbound van carrying the children. Diesel fuel leaked, and the mass erupted into a fireball, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
A fifth car, unable to avoid the chaos, sped through and hit people who were thrown from the van, the highway patrol said. Five of the children from a Pentecostal church in Marksville, Louisiana, and the two truck drivers died. At least eight others were injured, some seriously. “It is a heartbreaking event,” Lt. Patrick Riordan said Friday. He did not identify the church involved, but a member of the Avoyelles House of Mercy told The Gainesville Sun on Friday that her church was stunned. The children ranged in age from 9 to 14. “It’s unbelievable. Everybody is in shock. We lost five of our children,” church member Maxine Doughty said. “We had our Last Supper Sunday, and the pastor said to live our lives like each day is the last day.” Church officials did not immediately respond to phone calls. In a statement posted on the United Pentecostal Church International’s Facebook page, Louisiana district superintendent Kevin Cox said a pregnant woman injured in the crash and her unborn child had been stabilized. Cox also said church pastor Eric Descant’s 50-year-old wife, Karen, was critically injured and his granddaughter was among the children killed.
The highway patrol says a truck driven by Steve Holland, 59, of West Palm Beach, was traveling north in the far-right lane when his truck suddenly veered left and collided with a car driven by Robyn Rattray, 41, of Gainesville. Both the truck and car went out of control and through the center divider, where Holland’s truck plowed into the church van, driven by Amy Joffiron, 49, causing it to flip several times and eject some of the nine children on board. The highway patrol said it is unknown if any were wearing seatbelts. Holland’s truck then struck a truck driven by Douglas Bolkema, 49, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, who was also traveling south. Both trucks and Rattray’s car caught fire, and a fifth vehicle hit at least one of the ejected van passengers. Rattray and Joffrion suffered serious injuries, as did the four surviving children, who were also ages 9 to 14. They remain hospitalized, as did Karen Descant.
Authorities identified the dead children as Joel Cloud and Jeremiah Warren, both 14; Cara Descant, 13; Brieanna Descant, 10; and Cierra Bordelon, 9. The relationship between the Descant girls and the pastor was not immediately available.
Court records show Holland received numerous tickets between 2000 and 2014 in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Virginia for violations such as speeding, driving an unsafe vehicle, driving an overloaded vehicle and not carrying proof of insurance. Bolkema received a ticket in 1997 for following too closely.
Vinnie DeVita said he was driving south and narrowly escaped the crash. He saw it in the rearview mirror, immediately behind him according to a report by Orlando television station WKMG . “If I had stepped on the brake when I heard the noise, undoubtedly, I would have been in that accident,” DeVita said. “And then within probably 15 to 20 seconds of it all, it exploded. I mean, just a ball of flames.”
https://woay.tv/5-children-heading-to-disney-killed-in-fiery-florida-crash/
Cara Descant, age 13, of Marksville, passed away on January 3, 2019. Cara was an eighth grader at Avoyelles Public Charter School and will always be remembered for the impact she made. She loved her teachers and her classmates and tried to help them in any way she could. A member of the Fierce Team and Honor Choir, Cara thrived on taking leadership roles and working with others. Many students turned to her for extra tutoring, which she was always happy to provide. Whether she was making stockings for the nursing home residents, sewing dresses for the Haiti girls, or raising money for school outings, Cara was a worker. She had already decided her goal was to become a math teacher to return to teach at her Alma mater. Cara's whole life was based on living God's word. She loved her family, teachers, and classmates and wasn't afraid to share her convictions with them. She walked in the light of God and truly lived His word every day. She will be greatly missed by everyone.
Those left to cherish her memory include her parents, Joshua Paul Descant of Evergreen and Ali Sprinkle Laborde (Layne) of Marksville; one brother, Samuel Sprinkle of Foley, AL; one sister, Erica Strohman of Katy, TX; one step-sister, Cassie Bordelon of San Antonio, TX; paternal grandparents, Lyn and Christine Bordelon of Hessmer, Kerry Descant of Evergreen; Fred and Donna Gullet of Cottonport; paternal step-grandparents, Charles and Vickie Laborde of Hessmer; maternal grandparents, Stanley Sprinkle and Monique of Marksville; maternal grandmother, Monica Sprinkle of Cottonport; aunt, Rebecca Mullins (Scott) of Durham, N.C.; uncle, Scott Descant (Cherie) of Lone Pine. Visitation will be held on Friday, January 11, 2019 from 5:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. and will resume Saturday from 8:00 a.m. until time of funeral service.
Those honored to serve as pallbearers will be Kane Strohman, Samuel Sprinkle, Scott Descant, Joseph Barr, Sr., Charles Laborde, Kyle Couvillion, and Stanley Sprinkle.
5 Children Heading to Disney Killed in Fiery Florida Crash
By Tyler Barker
Jan 05, 2019, 08:46 am
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A church van packed with children was headed to Walt Disney World when it got caught in a fiery pileup involving two 18-wheelers. Seven people, including five of the youngsters, died in the crash. On Friday, investigators tried to determine what triggered the accident, which happened outside Gainesville in clear weather on a straight, flat stretch of Interstate 75, a busy highway that connects Florida to the rest of the South. Two vehicles traveling north — a tractor-trailer and a car — smashed into each other and then burst through a metal guardrail, slamming into another semitrailer and the southbound van carrying the children. Diesel fuel leaked, and the mass erupted into a fireball, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
A fifth car, unable to avoid the chaos, sped through and hit people who were thrown from the van, the highway patrol said. Five of the children from a Pentecostal church in Marksville, Louisiana, and the two truck drivers died. At least eight others were injured, some seriously. “It is a heartbreaking event,” Lt. Patrick Riordan said Friday. He did not identify the church involved, but a member of the Avoyelles House of Mercy told The Gainesville Sun on Friday that her church was stunned. The children ranged in age from 9 to 14. “It’s unbelievable. Everybody is in shock. We lost five of our children,” church member Maxine Doughty said. “We had our Last Supper Sunday, and the pastor said to live our lives like each day is the last day.” Church officials did not immediately respond to phone calls. In a statement posted on the United Pentecostal Church International’s Facebook page, Louisiana district superintendent Kevin Cox said a pregnant woman injured in the crash and her unborn child had been stabilized. Cox also said church pastor Eric Descant’s 50-year-old wife, Karen, was critically injured and his granddaughter was among the children killed.
The highway patrol says a truck driven by Steve Holland, 59, of West Palm Beach, was traveling north in the far-right lane when his truck suddenly veered left and collided with a car driven by Robyn Rattray, 41, of Gainesville. Both the truck and car went out of control and through the center divider, where Holland’s truck plowed into the church van, driven by Amy Joffiron, 49, causing it to flip several times and eject some of the nine children on board. The highway patrol said it is unknown if any were wearing seatbelts. Holland’s truck then struck a truck driven by Douglas Bolkema, 49, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, who was also traveling south. Both trucks and Rattray’s car caught fire, and a fifth vehicle hit at least one of the ejected van passengers. Rattray and Joffrion suffered serious injuries, as did the four surviving children, who were also ages 9 to 14. They remain hospitalized, as did Karen Descant.
Authorities identified the dead children as Joel Cloud and Jeremiah Warren, both 14; Cara Descant, 13; Brieanna Descant, 10; and Cierra Bordelon, 9. The relationship between the Descant girls and the pastor was not immediately available.
Court records show Holland received numerous tickets between 2000 and 2014 in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Virginia for violations such as speeding, driving an unsafe vehicle, driving an overloaded vehicle and not carrying proof of insurance. Bolkema received a ticket in 1997 for following too closely.
Vinnie DeVita said he was driving south and narrowly escaped the crash. He saw it in the rearview mirror, immediately behind him according to a report by Orlando television station WKMG . “If I had stepped on the brake when I heard the noise, undoubtedly, I would have been in that accident,” DeVita said. “And then within probably 15 to 20 seconds of it all, it exploded. I mean, just a ball of flames.”
https://woay.tv/5-children-heading-to-disney-killed-in-fiery-florida-crash/
