One was a longtime librarian looking forward to retirement. Another had
recently graduated from college with a business degree. At least two
died in the church that they had attended for decades.
A look at some of the nine lives that were cut short by the gunman who opened fire in a black church in downtown Charleston:
———
CLEMENTA PINCKNEY
Pinckney, 41, was the beloved pastor of Emanuel African Methodist
Church, one of the country's oldest black churches, and had been a state
legislator for 19 years.
Just one year after graduating from Allen University in 1995, Pinckney
became, at 23, the youngest African-American elected to the South Carolina Legislature. In 2000, he was elected to the state Senate.
He earned a master's degree in public administration from the University
of South Carolina in 1999 and studied at the Lutheran Theological
Southern Seminary.
A native of Beaufort, Pinckney began preaching at age 13 and was first
appointed pastor at 18. He was named pastor of Mother Emanuel AME Church
in 2010, according to the state Democratic Party.
"He had a core not many of us have," said Sen. Vincent Sheheen, who sat
beside him in Senate chambers. "I think of the irony that the most
gentle of the 46 of us — the best of the 46 of us in this chamber — is
the one who lost his life."
He is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and two children, Eliana and Malana.
———
ETHEL LANCE
Lance, 70, was a Charleston native who had been a member of the church
for most of her life. She retired after working for more than 30 years
on the housekeeping staff at the city's Gaillard Auditorium.
She had served as a sexton at the church for the last five years,
helping to keep the historic building clean. She was also a lover of
gospel music.
"She was a God-fearing woman," said granddaughter Najee Washington, 23,
who lived with Lance. "She was the heart of the family, and she still
is. She is a very caring, giving and loving woman. She was beautiful
inside and out."
Lance had five children, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
———
CYNTHIA HURD
Cynthia Hurd's brother took some comfort in knowing his happy-go-lucky sister died in the church she grew up in and loved.
Hurd, 54, was the manager of one of the busiest branches of the
Charleston County library system. In her honor, the system closed all 16
of its branches Thursday, the day after her death.
She grew up in Charleston, and her mother made sure they went Emanuel
African Methodist Episcopal Church on Sundays, Wednesdays and any other
time it was open, said her brother Malcom Graham, a former state senator
from North Carolina.
"I wasn't surprised on a Wednesday night she was there," Graham said Thursday as he stood a couple of blocks from the church.
Hurd's husband is a merchant sailor currently at sea near Saudi Arabia. Graham was trying to help him get home.
When Graham spoke to his sister last weekend, she said she couldn't wait for her 55th birthday on Sunday, he said.
She was also looking toward retirement after 31 years of library work.
The library issued a statement remembering Hurd as "a tireless servant
of the community who spent her life helping residents, making sure they
had every opportunity for an education and personal growth."
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