Beloved chaplain among 7 dead in Georgia dock collapse

A well-established minister was identified as one of the seven people killed Saturday afternoon when a ferry dock collapsed on Georgia’s Sapelo Island.

Dr. Charles Houston, the chaplain for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), plummeted into the waters along with at least 20 others when the aluminum gangway collapsed at around 4:30 p.m.

Houston had been with the DNR since 2008, according to his website, and was an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church for 40 years, his wife, Elizabeth Houston, said.

“He was a fine and good man,” Elizabeth Houston told the New York Post. “This is such a hard thing. I can hardly talk, I can’t even think right now.”

Houston began his ministry service in 1976 when he was the pastor for Plains UMC and joined the city’s volunteer fire department.

He went on to complete the “Basic Law Enforcement Training” course while at the Coastal Georgia Police Academy before becoming a pastor for several churches where he served as the chaplain for each of the local police departments.

He became a certified chaplain with the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council in 1995, was a member of the International Conference of Police Chaplains and served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Governor of the State of Georgia Homeland Security Chaplains.

Along with his chaplaincy with the DNR, Houston served as a senior chaplain for the Georgia Department of Public Safety since 1997.

Houston was remembered Saturday as a longtime helping hand for those he knew and helped following natural disasters.

“He was such a dedicated pastor and chaplain and was loved by those he served, both in the church and in law enforcement. Please keep his family and these agencies in your prayers,” Pastor Mike Davis said of his colleague and mentor.

One Facebook user recalled a recent meeting with Houston where the longtime minister met the family for coffee after their home flooded and prayed with them and gave gift cards to help “in their grief.”

“I’m sad and I’m mad and I’m so thankful for Charles and his life of service. I’m thankful for the countless family memories involving him. I’m thankful I got to see him recently and catch up with him,” Gail Gladin Rogers added.

At least 20 people were standing on the dock where passengers board the ferry plunged into the water when the gangway collapsed, including eight who were hospitalized, six of whom with critical injuries, said Tyler Jones, a spokesperson for the Georgia DNR. 

Rescue crews from the US Coast Guard, the McIntosh County Fire Department, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources are continuing to search the water, officials said Saturday.

While it remains unclear why the dock collapsed, Jones said there was no collision with a boat or anything else.

“The thing just collapsed. We don’t know why,” he told AP News, adding that a team of engineers and construction specialists are expected to be on-site early Sunday morning to investigate why the walkway failed. 

The fatal incident happened as crowds gathered on the island to celebrate its tiny Gullah-Geechee community of Black slave descendants for Cultural Day, according to ABC News.