Texas shooting claims pair from Beaver County family

While authorities in Texas continued to collect information about the Sunday morning church massacre that claimed 26 lives, the victims’ loved ones — including a Beaver County family — took up the task of making funeral arrangements.

Chippewa resident Holly Hannum — whose brother, Scott Marshall, and his wife, Karen, were killed in the attack — said Monday that she was trying to get nearly a dozen family members to La Vernia, Texas.

“We’re trying to get airline tickets, but they’re expensive,” said Ms. Hannum, 48. “Someone set up a GoFundMe page for us, and others have offered to donate air-travel points. It’s important for us to be there because the Air Force is planning a military funeral. But there’s me, my dad, his wife, my daughter, two sisters, at least one brother-in-law, my niece and her two children.”

Family members said Scott Marshall, 58, grew up in Hopewell and joined the Air Force after graduating from Hopewell High School. He met his wife, a master sergeant in the Air National Guard, more than30 years ago.

Although Karen Marshall was stationed at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, the couple had called Texas home for more than 10 years. Scott Marshall was retired from the Air Force and had been working as a civilian contractor and mechanic at Lackland Air Force Base, about 40 miles west of La Vernia.

Scott Marshall’s father, Robert Marshall, said the couple were entering a new phase in their lives. Ms. Marshall had recently rejoined her husband in Texas and was to be discharged from the service in two weeks. On Sunday morning, they went to the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, for the first time.

“When they got back to Texas, they went around looking for a Baptist church and they saw this church and thought they might like it,” said Robert Marshall of Crescent. “So they went to it, and this is what happened.”

After hearing news of the mass shootings on Sunday, members of the family spent the rest of the day “glued to the television” for information, Ms. Hannum. “I haven’t really looked at TV much since because it drives me into tears.”

She told her father of the death of his son and daughter-in-law on Monday, Mr. Marshall’s 85th birthday.

The birthday, he said, was an awful one, but he said he is finding comfort in the memory of having seen Scott and Karen at a surprise party in Beaver County just two weeks ago.

“It was special,” Mr. Marshall said. “It was a very happy occasion. A party for [Karen] getting out of the service and for my birthday. And then I had breakfast with Scott and Karen before they went back to Texas.”

He said packing and making arrangements to get to Texas for the memorial service has helped to keep his mind off the tragedy.

“I’m hanging in there,” he said. “I’m still numb. It’ll sink in eventually.”