Global News has confirmed that three of the seven victims killed in Friday's fiery head-on crash north of Wandering River, Alta on Highway 63 are 34 year-old pastor Shannon Wheaton and his wife Trena as well as their 2 year-old son Benjamin. Their 3 year-old son Timothy remains in hospital and is said to be doing well.
The family was an integral part of the Family Christian Centre in Fort McMurray. According to the Centre's website, Shannon was a Families Ministries Pastor. It also says he married the woman of his dreams, and he and his wife were very passionate about children - first as parents, and second as pastors. Global News spoke with someone from the church who said the church is just coming to grips with what has happened, and is looking to support its members and the family.
On Saturday, the Centre posted the following message of condolence on its website:
Rev. Edwin Rideout, the centre’s lead pastor, said Wheaton had served with him for five years in Springdale, Nfld, before joining him in Fort McMurray in 2010.
"He was one of the most and generous individuals I have ever known," Rideout said. "His passion for God, the church and the community was exceptional. I considered him my son on ministry."
The mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Melissa Blake, added that the community is reeling from the loss.
"On the one hand the loss is horrendous - it doesn't matter that it's a pastor's family or any other family - we all feel that kind of pain. But because they belong to a community association like that there's still going to be more hearts that are broken, and a lot more support, I hope, to those who remain," she said.
Wheaton also spent three years as a children’s pastor at the Windsor Pentecostal Church in Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland, the province he was originally from.
"Pastor Shannon was very family-oriented and did his ministry with children from the depths of his heart," said Pastor Robert Parsons. "He loved the kids ... and the kids loved him."
Parsons said he heard about the accident early Saturday morning, and word spread quickly through the church community in that province.
"Many, many calls are coming in from our congregation," Parsons said, adding that the sorrow if bring felt throughout the Pentecostal ministry. "Because he was associated with our fellowship it affects the Pentecostal Church in the entire province of Newfoundland and Labrador."
The small community of Frederickton, N.L., where Wheaton is from, is reeling from the tragedy, said his childhood friend.
"The reality has slowly set in," said Robin Wheaton, who is not related to the pastor. "He was a good guy, an honest guy. Everybody is in shock."
The pastor’s parents still live in Frederickton and were always deeply religious, he said.
Friends of the Wheaton family, Mark and Courtney Penney of Fort McMurray, were riding with them in the southbound truck that collided head-on with another vehicle that pulled into their lane. Courtney Penney, who was pregnant, died in the crash, a friend said, while her 28-year-old husband is hospitalized in serious but stable condition.
April Anstey, a friend of Courtney Penney, remembered her as "a quiet soul, but her heart was huge."
Anstey had met the Penney’s through church only in the past year.
"When you meet them, you fall in love with them," Anstey said. "My heart goes out to Mark. I hope he pulls through this. He is there to help whoever and whenever in whatever way he can. I guess it is our turn to help him."
A neighbour of Courtney Penney said she was pregnant. Ultrasound pictures were recently posted on her Facebook page.
All three occupants of the northbound vehicle died, including an 11 year-old girl, who was pulled from the fiery wreckage by passing motorists before emergency crews arrived. The two others who were with her in the pick-up truck have not yet been identified.
"It was a very horrific accident and a very tough one for the guys to handle," said Chief Hal Pressling of the Plamondon Fire Department, which was called to the scene minutes after the crash. "We try to train the guys for just about everything, but you really can’t train for something like that. You react to it, you deal with it, and then you deal with it after."
The crash occurred on a stretch of highway where serious accidents are common. Fort McMurray residents and travelers have clamoured for it to be widened and twinned for years. Construction is already underway near the accident scene.
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