ALPHARETTA, Ga. — It's been nearly two weeks since a beloved Milton family was tragically killed after the plane they were in went down in New York after they were leaving a prestigious baseball tournament.
On Friday, family and friends said goodbye to the family of five who perished after a single-engine Piper PA-46 crashed about 12 minutes following departure after the National Transportation Safety Board said it was flying near a line of storms in a town a little over 100 miles northwest of New York City.
The pain and grief of losing Ryan and Laura Van Epps, their two sons James Ryan (JR), 12, and Harrison, 10, and Laura's father, Roger Beggs, is still tremendous.
"I think the whole family would be remembered as a loving, as a giving, as a selfless family," JP Stewart said.
Stewart was JR's middle school baseball coach, where JR was a rising seventh-grader at Kings Ridge Christian Academy in Alpharetta. He coached JR when he was in fifth and sixth grade.
"(He was) just a great kid, but just gritty," Stewart remembered JR, looking back. "Didn't say a whole lot, but just led by example, and he just loved life."
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On the diamond, JR was a quiet and humble leader who led by example to his teammates not only in baseball, but in life.
"You knew what you were going to get from JR every practice, every game. He just gave 100% effort. Great teammate...loved his teammates," Stewart explained. "Every day he lived life to the fullest, and that's probably one thing we can all probably take away -- is each day is a gift and you know, tomorrow is not guaranteed."
The death of his former player and his entire family still hasn't quite sunk in to Stewart, who is still figuring out how to process the news that they are gone.
"Almost surreal, just, you know, you still can't believe it really happened," he said.
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But it was JR's last game that will leave a lasting impression on Coach Stewart.
JR's 12-year-old baseball team was in Cooperstown, New York, for the most distinguished and reputable youth baseball tournament that any kid playing baseball gets the opportunity to play in. Over the entire summer, teams from all over the United States get to travel to the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame to spend a full week in barracks with their teammates and play on some of the nicest youth baseball fields in the country at Cooperstown Dreams Park.
For JR, the opportunity was a chance to showcase his skills on the biggest stage. In his final game that he would play, JR blasted a grand slam, a memory that his coach will now carry with him in his heart.
"JR just played and pitched great. Hit a grand slam, you know, he just had a great game."
His grand slam -- JR's last mark on the game of baseball and his teammates.
"Just knowing him, you know, the big smile. You know, he probably didn't say a whole lot," Stewart said. "Just smiled, and that's what he does. That was him."