‘A Time of loss’ - 2,800 turn out to memorialize Jehovah’s Witnesses ministers who died in crash
A large audience joins in the memorial service Friday for ministers Victor James Osborne, Leon Rosko, Randall Walp, Craig Clark and Gerald Booth, killed in a plane crash last weekend. The service was conducted at Freedom Hall. (Tony Duncan / Johnson City Press)
By Kristen Swing
Press Staff Writer
kswing@johnsoncitypress.com
Thousands of people memorialized the five Jehovah’s Witnesses ministers killed in last weekend’s plane crash at a service held Friday evening at Freedom Hall Civic Center.Gerald Booth, of Unicoi; Craig Clark, of Elizabethton; Victor James Osborne, of Morristown; Leon Rosko, of Sevierville and Randall Walp, of Hixon, all were killed when the single-engine Beech Bonanza they were flying in crashed Saturday into the side of Holston Mountain.
The men, all members of a regional building committee, apparently were bound for Virginia Highlands Airport near Abingdon, Va., where they were supposed to be meeting with congregation members from Lebanon, Va., to discuss building a new church there.
At Friday’s service, Chuck Sedgwick, the only surviving member of the regional building committee to which the men belonged, spoke fondly of his fallen brothers.
“I knew them all and spent a lot of time with those brothers,” Sedgwick said. “I loved them dearly.”
Sedgwick recalled 65-year-old Booth as “a spiritual dynamo,” who “was never at a loss for words.” He said Booth was “organized” and “prompt,” always wanting to get things done “now.”
“A lot of us would like to be like Jerry, but we’re not going to be. I’ve never seen somebody with so much energy,” Sedgwick said. “It’s a beautiful thing to have known him and these other brothers.”
Clark, 57, lived “a simple life,” and always “thought before he spoke,” according to Sedgwick.
“Craig was known for being a good listener. He was known for being approachable,” Sedgwick said. “He was always willing to serve in the background.”
Sedgwick emphasized that Osborne, who reportedly was piloting the plane when it crashed, was always “very safe” while flying.
“I trusted my life with him and they did, too,” Sedgwick said. “I flew with those brothers quite often and I loved it. At 5,000 feet we’d pull out text and read the text. We’d read that together and I would listen to these spiritual men.”
Known for “being generous,” 50-year-old Osborne also was “patient” and “respectable,” Sedgwick said.
Rosko, 56, was a “teacher,” who “breathed the regional building work” and “smiled with his eyes,” Sedgwick recalled.
“He just could not do enough and he loved it,” Sedgwick said. “He was everywhere.”
Like Rosko, 55-year-old Walp was known as a teacher among his brothers.
“To be with Randy, I felt like I was in spiritual college,” Sedgwick said. “His wisdom in asking questions was unbelievable.”
More than 2,800 people showed up Friday night to remember the five men and pay respects to their families, who also attended the service.
“This is a time of loss. It is a time of mourning. It is a time of sadness and certainly it is a time for tears,” said Jonathan Smith, circuit overseer for the Jehovah’s Witness circuit that encompassed all five men. “But look at what these brothers accomplished in their days of life. All five of these brothers were givers. That’s the life that they lived.”
For those who knew, loved and respected the five elders, Friday’s event served as a reminder of what now should be done to honor them.
“They were your husbands, your fathers, your teachers, our teachers, counselors. They were spiritual organizers,” Sedgwick said. “We’re going to carry on and make them proud of what they taught us.”
An investigation into what caused the plane crash is being conducted by members of the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration.
***************************************
