Vigil Tuesday for former Alpharetta teacher, family killed in boat crash

A community mourns parents, 2 sons killed in Savannah boating crash. Chris and Lori Leffler and their two sons Zack, 23, and Nate, 17, were killed. The Leffler’s daughter, Kate, and a friend survived the crash.

A community mourns parents, 2 sons killed in Savannah boating crash. Chris and Lori Leffler and their two sons Zack, 23, and Nate, 17, were killed. The Leffler’s daughter, Kate, and a friend survived the crash.

A vigil will be held Tuesday evening for a former Alpharetta teacher and family members killed Saturday in a boating accident.

Chris and Lori Leffler and their two sons Zack, 23, and Nate, 17, were killed in the head-on crash on the Wilmington River near Savannah. The Leffler’s daughter, Kate, and a friend survived.

Chris Leffler was a history teacher at Calvary Day School in Savannah.

He previously taught at King’s Ridge Christian School in Alpharetta. A prayer vigil will be held at the school’s student center at 6 p.m. Tuesday. King’s Ridge is located at 2765 Bethany Bend, Alpharetta.

A 45-year-old Georgia man, Mark Stegall, has been arrested for boating under the influence, Channel 2 Action News reported. Robert Chauncey, 37, a passenger in Stegall’s boat was also killed. Four other people were injured.

Department of Natural Resources investigators told Channel 2 Action News that they would be investigating the boating accident involving nine people for weeks.

One of the boats carried six people including members of the Leffler family who moved to the area from Alpharetta earlier this year.

All of those killed were not immediately found Saturday. Two were found dead that day, and three were recovered on Sunday in close proximity to each other, according to an Associated Press report.

Condolences for the Leffler family were pouring in on social media throughout Memorial Day weekend. Support for Kate was among a string of comments Monday morning on a post where her father had marked his first day on the job at Calvary in January.

A Calvary Day School post on Facebook said that nothing could prepare loved ones for the weekend’s tragedy.

“Chris, Lori, Zach, and Nate were loved by so many and will be missed dearly,” the post said. “Chris was great at building relationships with students, parents, and peers. He was an outstanding teacher, coach, and he was a friend. Nate, a senior at Calvary Day, had a quiet demeanor, contagious smile, and passion for athletics. He was well-liked by his peers, was a great brother, and a loving son.”