BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. — Bob Stouffer traveled from Pennsylvania to celebrate a milestone with the church he helped build from the ground up. He never made it home.
The 85-year-old was killed Friday evening when a tent collapsed during Eastlake Community Church's 20th anniversary celebration in Moneta, Virginia. He was one of the church's original members and, according to lead pastor Troy Keaton, a beloved figure and a "pillar in this congregation."
The worshippers had said goodbye to Stouffer and his wife, Nancy, just weeks earlier. On May 26, Eastlake Community Church posted on Instagram, marking the couple's departure for Pennsylvania, calling their service "faithful" and their love for others "genuine."
"We're so grateful for their faithful service, genuine love for others and the beautiful legacy they leave behind at EastLake," the church wrote. "They will be deeply missed, and we're praying God richly blesses this next chapter for them."
Stouffer and his wife had returned to Virginia specifically for the anniversary celebration. Keaton said the evening began with 30 minutes of opening music before the storm moved in quickly.
"We recognized that a storm was coming. We sent the kids in and started the first song. About halfway through the first song, I grabbed the microphone and went on stage and was preparing to dismiss the crowd to their cars, and in a matter of five seconds, the tent was gone," Keaton said.
Keaton described Stouffer as irreplaceable.
"One of the most remarkable men, and that's not hyperbole, that I've ever known," Keaton told WDBJ. "They had just moved back to Pennsylvania to be closer to their family in their later years and came back for this event. What a remarkable man of God whose legacy will carry on."
Keaton met with families on Saturday to provide prayer and comfort in the aftermath of the tragedy.
"We love them. We know them very, very closely," Keaton said. "We do what Christians do and what people do in general when these moments happen, we put our arms around each other and we trust in the Lord."
Eastlake Community Church has canceled its weekend events but will hold Sunday service at 10 a.m.
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