Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Three crewmen from the towboat Elizabeth M. were killed Sunday when their boat sunk near the Montgomery Lock and Dam, and one man remains missing. Some information about the victims:
Ed Crevda, 22, of West Brownsville. A 2000 graduate of Brownsville High School, Crevda was a deck hand with Campbell Transportation. He is survived by his parents, two sisters and a grandmother. His funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday at Skirpan Funeral Home in Brownsville.
Tom Fisher, 25, of Latrobe. Born in Perth Amboy, N.J., Fisher moved in West Virginia as a child. He was a deck hand for Campbell Transportation. He is survived by his parents, three bothers and two sisters. His funeral is scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday at the Turley Funeral Home in New Cumberland, W.Va.
Don Lobb, Fisher's stepfather, said he isn't certain what happened, but was told his son helped save survivor Jacob "Jake" Wilds and tried to save Crevda. Fisher had been living with Wilds, his best friend, in Latrobe since September floods damaged the Lobbs' home.
Lobb said Fisher and one of his brothers were on another towboat that sunk two years ago. After making it to shore, "Tom went back in to get the pilot," Lobb said.
Scott Stewart, 36, of Wheeling, W.Va. Stewart was a U.S. Army veteran and pilot for Campbell Transportation. He is survived by a wife and two daughters. His funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday at Kepner Funeral Home in Elm Grove.
Rick Conklin, 40, of Crucible. Conklin was missing and presumed dead. He was in the Army for 20 years and served in Operation Desert Storm.