The greater Atlanta community prepares to lay five of their own to rest following a devastating plane crash in New York that claimed their lives. The Beggs and Van Epps families, well-known and respected figures in the area, perished on June 30, 2024, while returning from a youth baseball tournament in Cooperstown. According to FOX5 Atlanta, the single-engine Piper PA-46, piloted by 76-year-old Roger Beggs, encountered fatal issues after departing from Albert S. Nader Regional Airport en route to Cobb County International Airport. The crash also resulted in the deaths of Laura Van Epps, 43, Ryan Van Epps, 42, and their children James Ryan Van Epps, 12, and Harrison Van Epps, 10.
It is not only the immediate family who are mourning but also the educational and athletic communities that the Van Epps boys were a part of. The King's Ridge Christian School, Ninth Inning Baseball League, and Milton High School football team have all expressed their grief over the loss. The football team noted James Ryan's accomplishments as "a feeder-rising 7th-grade football player," according to 11Alive. Reflecting on his last game, James Ryan was celebrated for hitting a grand slam—a poignant testament to the vitality and promise so cruelly interrupted.
A memorial service to honor the memories of the beloved family will be held on Friday, July 12, at 2 p.m. at Roswell United Methodist Church. According to an announcement highlighted by the Milton Eagles Football Team, this service is open for friends, loved ones, and community members to pay their respects. "We're still processing the tragic loss of our family as well as the Beggs, and we are all devastated, to say the least. We are heavily grieving and heartbroken," Ansley Van Epps, a family member, told 11Alive amidst an outpouring of community support. A private interment will follow at a later date in the Green Lawn Cemetery of Roswell.
The family has expressed a wish for donations to local charities in lieu of traditional remembrances, a gesture that reminds us of their lasting impact on the community and commitment to giving back. In a statement shared by the family with 11Alive, they communicated their desire to celebrate "the beautiful lives they lived," reflecting on "Their kindness, laughter and love will forever be etched in our hearts." As the community comes together in the face of such tragedy, this call for charity honors a legacy of philanthropy and care that characterized the family's life in Atlanta.
