Memorial service planned for victim
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on July 15, 2009 1:46 PM
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Lisa Simmons
A memorial service for the fourth victim of the July 4 fireworks explosion on Ocracoke Island will be held tonight at 7 at The Lord's Table, the church all four had attended.
The funeral for Lisa Simmons, 41, a children's church volunteer, was already held in her home state of Georgia. Officials at the church said some of her relatives traveled to Wayne County for tonight's memorial service.
Funeral services for the other three victims were held last week.
Mark Hill, 21, was buried on July 8 in Princeton. The funeral for Charles "Kirk" Kirkland Jr., 49, was held July 8 in Goldsboro, with burial July 9 in Newsoms, Va.
Terry Holland, 50, the building maintenance supervisor at The Lord's Table, was eulogized at services on Friday afternoon.
Holland was team leader for Melrose South Pyrotech-nics, near Rock Hill, S.C. He, and four others, were reportedly preparing for a fireworks show on the island when the explosion occurred. Although the incident has been ruled an accident, it is still under investigation and legislation about the handling of fireworks is pending.
The fifth member of the team, Martez Holland, 27, Terry Holland's nephew, survived. He had reportedly been in the back of the truck when the explosion happened and was able to jump off with lesser injuries. He received third-degree burns on 20 percent of his body, and remains hospitalized at the Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill.
A fund for victims' families has been set up by the church, officials there announced last week. Donations can be sent to The Ocracoke Fireworks Disaster Relief Fund, c/o The Lord's Table, P.O. Box 11049, Goldsboro, NC 27532.