ELGIN, S.C. — The Elgin community said farewell Saturday night to Paul Towns Jr., a man well known for the event he created to light up the community for a good cause.
Towns' battle with cancer ended back in mid-September.
"One thing that my dad ever gave us was we always live like it was our last day with him," said his daughter, Christina Churchwell.
Towns started what's simply known as the "Elgin Lights" almost 26 years ago as a free Christmas event for those in the community. All he asked was for those who came to donate to Camp Cole, a fully accessible camp for children and teens facing serious illness or other life challenges.
"It's bittersweet I mean you kinda wait to hear the golfcart coming around with dad saying I messed something up, or you know there are some things like the tractor, that's supposed to carry my dad tonight, it's not starting, and I don't have my dad here to help me fix the tractor so those moments are the hard ones,' Churchwell said. "It's not being able to ask him that question."
Churchwell wanted to carry out his final wish to turn the lights on one last time.
"It's been a long emotional month putting up the lights, there are certain sections that were so emotional that I couldn't do it alone because every light display out here represents a part of my father," she added.
Churchwell not only set up the lights many used to know but she lit up a memorial site for him surrounding his tractor with red, white, and blue lights for his service in the military and in lime green for his cancer color.
It was not only an emotional time for Churchwell but also for the many families who came to say their final goodbyes.
"I've been coming out here for 20 years, this was a tradition they added a lot of things through the years, and they are gonna be missed out here," said Tony Japps.
"This has been a tradition for us since it started," added Kerri Higgins. "It's gonna be so hard because this, has been like, I'm gonna cry, it's been like amazing,"
"Even though we are no longer having the lights that his legacy is still living on inside their hearts, inside our hearts, and then even out at Camp Cole," says Churchwell.
The family asked for the community to continue donating to Camp Cole.