Clayton Cope.Photo: Courtesy Carla Cope
There was a 84-year-old great-grandmother whose life “revolved around her family”; a Navy veteran, 29, who worked in an Illinois Amazon warehouse; anda father with his 12-year-old sonon a duck hunting trip in Tennessee.
They are amongat least 88 people killedafter tornadoesswept through six states, leaving catastrophic damage.
Here are some of their stories, featured in this week’s issue of PEOPLE.
Clayton Cope, 29, Alton, Illinois(pictured above)
A Navy veteran and mechanic (like his dad), Clayton Cope “was a great kid,” says his mother, Carla.
A lover of the outdoors, he also loved playing video games and riding his Harley. Cope was devoted to his rescue dog, Draco, and took the black and tan coonhound “everywhere,” says Carla. “He loved him.”
“He made friends with everyone,” she adds. “Everyone loved him.”
Austin McEwen (center).gofundme
Austin McEwen, 26, Edwardsville, Illinois
“He helped whoever he could,” says grandfather Billy McEwen, 80, of the talented baseball and hockey player.
Austin was one of six people who died when a tornadodestroyed the Amazon distribution facility in Edwardsville where he worked as a delivery driver.
Steve, Blaine and Grayson Gunn.courtesy Tyler Lee
Steve, 51, and Grayson Gunn, 12, Havana, Florida
This father and son were on aduck hunting tripin Tennessee when the storm hit their hotel, the Cypress Pointe Resort.
“Grayson was exceptional,” says family friend Tyler Lee, 51, of Quincy, Florida. “[He] had a strong work ethic, and that was all due to his father. He was a huge, huge influence in his life.”
Steve, a service manager for Engineered Cooling in Tallahassee, was an avid outdoorsman devoted to his son. “They were pretty much inseparable,” says Lee.
Steve’s brother-in-law, Jamie Hall, 47, also on the hunting trip, remains missing.
For more on the tornado victims, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribehere.
Teresa Duncan (left).Courtesy Samantha Wyatt
Teresa Duncan, 42, Lebanon, Kentucky
The grandmother of four “was a kind, loving soul,” says her friend, Samantha Wyatt. “She helped many people.”
After the storm hit, Duncan’s body was found in debris Saturday, while her fiancé, Kenny Wilson, underwent emergency surgery for a tear in his aorta, and her 12-year-old daughter suffered a broken leg, according to Wyatt.
Kevin Dickey.Courtesy Kyle Dickey
Kevin Dickey, 62, Carlyle, Illinois
The Amazon supervisor “had a great bond with so many,” his family said in a statement.
“Dad talked often about his co-workers and their daily stories,” added the Dickey family. “Dad was a kind man that loved spending time with his family. He stole the show and the hearts of his grandchildren anytime he was around.”
“He will be truly missed,” they continued. “We have lost a very special person.”
Ollie Borgmann (bottom left) with her family.Courtesy Borgmann Family
Ollie Borgmann, 84, Defiance, Missouri
A woman of great faith, Borgmann was also a grandmother of six and great-grandmother of seven.
When a tornado hit the home she had shared with her husband, Vernon, 84, their son Keith was on the phone with his father. “Then the phone went silent,” says Keith. Paramedics found Vernon about 200 feet from where the house once stood, with minor injuries. Ollie was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
“Her family made her smile all the time,” says Keith. “She revolved around her family. Whatever family needed, she was there. She was just a sweet, sweet person. It’s almost difficult to actually describe her without seeing her smile.”
Larry Virden.Courtesy Cherie Jones
Larry Virden, 46, Collinsville, Illinois
A racecar fan and former Army mechanic, Virden was a doting father of four and grandfather of one who worked at the Amazon plant in Edwardsville.
“He lived for everybody, just a simple family man,” says his girlfriend, Cherie Jones. “Playing with the kids, just hunting, fishing, he loved those things.”
Virden’s passion for race cars started in high school, when he helped a friend work on the vehicles. Says Jones: “He loved those things.”
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source: people.com
