A view of the burnt wreckage of a small plane that crashed into the parking lot of a post office is shown, at left, in Lafayette, La., Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019. Several people died in the crash. (Scott Clause/The Lafayette Advertiser via AP)
The Associated Press
LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - A Louisiana mom and son who were devoted fans of Louisiana State University and were on their way to see the school's football team in the Peach Bowl when they died in a plane crash, will be laid to rest Thursday.
Gretchen D. Vincent, 51; her son Michael Walker Vincent, 15; were on a plane that crashed shortly after takeoff Saturday, killing five of the six people on board.
Most of the five people on the plane who died had connections to a Lafayette-based technology firm, Global Data Systems. Gretchen D. Vincent's husband, Chris Vincent, is the president of Global Data Systems. Ian E. Biggs, 51, was a pilot and aircraft manager for GDS. Robert Vaughn Crisp II, 59 was vice president of business development and field services for the firm. The sole surviving passenger, Stephen Wade Berzas, 37, also worked for the company as its vice president of sales and marketing. Carley McCord, 30, was also a passenger on the plane and died in the crash. She was a well-known sports reporter and the daughter-in-law of the LSU offensive coordinator, Steve Ensminger.
The Vincents will be remembered at a visitation and funeral service at Our Savior's Church in Lafayette, Louisiana. In a nod to the duo's love of the LSU Tigers, guests are being asked to dress in the school's purple and gold colors.
Gretchen was described in an obituary as a woman with a 'œmagnetic personality, a contagious laugh, and a radiant smile.'ť She was active in various community activities such as the Junior League of Lafayette and the Ascension Episcopal Church where her son was a student. She hosted weekly Bible studies at her house. The Louisiana native had a special place in her heart for her alma mater of LSU and especially its sports teams. She was a season ticket holder for LSU football for most of her life, the obituary said. And she often traveled to LSU sporting events.
Her son Michael Walker Vincent shared her love of all things purple and gold, according to his obituary. The teenager was an excellent student and planned to major in pre-dentistry at LSU as part of his plans to become an orthodontist. He had also dreamed of becoming a pilot and enjoyed going hunting and fishing in Louisiana, the obituary said. He died one day before his 16th birthday.
Funeral services for the other victims are also upcoming. A Catholic funeral Mass will be held for Crisp on Friday in Mamou. A memorial service will be held for Biggs on Saturday in Lafayette. McCord's funeral will be Saturday in Baton Rouge.
Authorities investigate the scene after a small plane crashed into the parking lot of a post office in Lafayette, La., Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019. Several people died in the crash. (Scott Clause/The Lafayette Advertiser via AP)
The Associated Press
Balloons are released during a 16th birthday party for Walker Vincent at Leslie Jacob's home on Sunday, December 29, 2019 in Lafayette, La. Walker Vincent was one of the victims in the plane crash on Saturday. Family and friends threw him a birthday party where they released LSU balloons and marked gifts with their favorite memories of Walker for his father. (Brad Kemp/The Advocate via AP)
The Associated Press
CORRECTS SPELLING TO CARLEY, INSTEAD OF CARLY - The New Orleans Pelicans pause during a moment of silence for Carley McCord, a sports journalist who was the in-game host for the Pelicans and who died in a plane crash Saturday, before the team's NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers in New Orleans, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019. McCord, the daughter-in-law of LSU football offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger, had just departed Lafayette, La., en route to the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, where LSU was playing Oklahoma, when the plane crashed, killing five people. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The Associated Press
In this Dec. 14, 2019 photo Acadiana head coach Matt McCullough, left, speaks with Carley McCord, center, following a win over the Destrehan in the State Division 5A Championship football game in Lafayette, La. One of victims in a deadly Louisiana plane crash was a sports reporter and daughter-in-law of a Louisiana State University football coach. Steven Ensminger Jr. says his wife, Carley McCord, died in the crash in Louisiana on Saturday, Dec. 28, on the way to a college football playoff game in Atlanta. (Scott Clause/The Daily Advertiser via AP)
The Associated Press
Class mates sing Happy Birthday to Walker Vincent during a 16th birthday party for Walker at Leslie Jacob's home on Sunday, December 29, 2019 in Lafayette, La. Walker Vincent was one of the facilities in the plane crash on Saturday. Family and friends threw him a birthday party where they released LSU balloons and marked gifts with their favorite memories of Walker for his father. (Brad Kemp/The Advocate via AP)
The Associated Press
Friend and classmate of Walker Vincent Grace Morgan write a note to him on a balloon during a16th birthday party for him at Leslie Jacob's home on Sunday, December 29, 2019 in Lafayette, La. Walker Vincent was one of the victims in the plane crash on Saturday. Family and friends threw him a birthday party where they released LSU balloons and marked gifts with their favorite memories of Walker for his father. (Brad Kemp/The Advocate via AP)
The Associated Press