Alpharetta church prepares for GSU nursing student’s funeral
About 30 bouquets of roses and other floral arrangements adorned the pulpit of Alpharetta First Baptist Church, where funeral services are being held Saturday for Catherine McKay Pittman, one of five Georgia Southern University nursing students killed in a vehicle wreck Wednesday.
A portrait of a smiling Pittman hung on an easel near the lectern.
Some young mourners, dressed in black and holding a white rose, sat quietly in the church lobby as church leaders prepared for the service.
Pittman, 21, of Alpharetta, was one of five students who died after a wreck Wednesday involving both their cars that authorities say was started by a truck driven by John Wayne Johnson, 55, of Shreveport, La. Pittman and six other nursing students were riding in two cars Wednesday from Georgia Southern University in Statesboro on the interstate to a Savannah hospital.
Pittman was one of two students from metro Atlanta killed in the crash. The funeral for 20-year-old Emily Elizabeth Clark of Powder Springs will be held at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Burnt Hickory Baptist Church in Cobb County, with burial at Kennesaw Memorial Park.
The three other students who died were Caitlyn Baggett, 21, of Millen; Morgan Bass, 20, of Leesburg; and Abbie Deloach, 21, of Savannah.
Authorities say the accident investigation might take a half year — although most are completed within three months — because they’re complex and the nine investigative teams, which handled 373 cases last year, often are working more than one.
Currently, the state patrol hasn’t decided about criminal charges involving the truck driver who initiated the early morning crash. Investigators said there was no indication alcohol was involved.
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About the Author
Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He currently writes about higher education and has assisted in the newsroom’s COVID-19 vaccine coverage. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.
