A Tennessee pastor who was identified among 16 people killed in the Accurate Energetic Systems plant explosion near Bucksnort last Friday morning was just weeks away from his wedding.
The late pastor, Trent Stewart, who was also a firefighter with the Waverly Department of Public Safety, was named among the victims by local officials at a press conference on Monday.
The other victims are: Reyna Gillahan, Jason Adams, Billy Baker, Christopher Clark, James Cook, LaTeisha Mays, Melinda Rainey, Steven Wright, Erick Anderson, Adam Boatman, Mindy Clifton, Jeremy Moore, Melissa Stafford, Rachel Woodall, and Donald Yowell.
On Sunday, Tina Hamblin Coon, a cousin of Katy Stover, whom Stewart proposed to last December, said their family was devastated by the loss.
“Please keep my cousin Katy Stover in your thoughts and prayers in the days & months ahead. She lost her fiancé Friday in the explosion. Their wedding date was in a few weeks. Everyone loved Trent Stewart,” Coon wrote on Facebook Sunday.
“Anyone he’s ever met will tell you he was the sweetest, happiest, friendliest goofball you’d ever meet and he shined especially bright since he started dating Katy. He loved her so much! This has been a devastating weekend for our whole community as many lives were lost. We are heartbroken for all of the families involved. We will surely miss Trent & how perfectly he fit in with our family.”
Stewart led the Log Church, a small nondenominational congregation in Waverly, whose Facebook page shows a profile photo of him alongside his fiancée beaming with pride.
About six months after he had proposed to Stover in June, Stewart thanked God for bringing her into his life as he publicly wished her a happy birthday.
“Happy birthday to my Dr Pepper loving, god fearing, adventurous, beautiful, caring, amazing fiancé!” he wrote.
“You always go above and beyond for me, the dogs, and everyone else around you! I thank God every day that He brought you into my life! I couldn’t imagine doing this crazy thing we call living without you honey. This time next year it’ll be a post for my wife instead of my fiancé, and I’m so incredibly excited to marry you. I love you so much honey, you deserve the world Katy Stover.”
On Sunday, Stover revealed that Log Church was packed with worshipers and she knew he would have been “absolutely thrilled.”
“We had a packed out house this morning at The Log Church. I know this would have absolutely thrilled Trent. We appreciate everyone who came and we hope everyone will join us again next Sunday,” she wrote on Facebook. “It brought a smile to my face and tears to my eyes to see how many people showed up to honor Trent and all the other families. Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely feel them and we would appreciate it if you keep them coming.”
Marsha Blackburn, the senior senator representing Tennessee and a candidate for governor, highlighted Stewart in a statement about the tragedy on Wednesday.
“Heartbroken for the community in Waverly after the tragic explosion at the munitions plant claimed the life of Log Church’s beloved Pastor Trent Stewart,” she said. “Our hearts go out to every single family who lost a loved one in this devastating tragedy.”
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