‘Heaven’s gain is our loss’: Cayce church mourns family lost in fire

Bekah Kelly hugged friends who gathered Wednesday at Trinity Baptist Church in Cayce to mourn the deaths of her parents and two siblings in a fire that destroyed her family’s home.

She sat quietly with her grandparents and other relatives as a crowd estimated at 250 people prayed and grieved over the tragedy.

“Heaven’s gain is our loss,” former Lexington 2 School Board member Rick Shull said.

The entire Kelly family “played such a huge role” in activities for the 1,100-member congregation, said pastor the Rev. Eddie Coakley at the start of the service before it was closed to reporters. “It’s just ... it’s heartbreaking.”

Parents Scott and Amanda Kelly, along with their two youngest children, 9-year-old Elizabeth and 10-month-old Judah, perished in the fire at the home in central Lexington County early Tuesday.

Bekah and brother Jared, along with Scott Kelly’s mother, survived. The grandmother was taken for treatment of burns to Augusta and is expected to recover, according to social media posts by the church.

Jared Kelly wasn’t seen at the service during the portion open to reporters.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the State Law Enforcement Division.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

A candlelight vigil for the family will be held Thursday at Brookland-Cayce High School, where Bekah Kelly is a student.

Firefighters found the home in the Oak Grove area fully engulfed in flames upon arrival at 1 a.m. Tuesday, seven minutes after being dispatched following a 911 telephone call for help, county spokesman Harrison Cahill said.

The Kellys purchased the two-story home with 2,300 square feet nearly four years ago, according to county records. It was built in 1997.

The couple married five years ago after meeting online, with Amanda Kelly moving to the Columbia area from Florida to be with Scott, a widower and father to the three eldest children, friends say.

The three older children quickly accepted Amanda as their mother, a role “she took very seriously,” Shull said.

Judah’s recent adoption was an addition that Shull called a celebration for the family.

“It was a long process, and there were ups and downs,” said Shull, who served as spokesman for those attending the service.

Both parents taught Sunday school at the church, where Scott Kelly recently became one of 16 deacons while Amanda Kelly led the women’s ministry, friends said.

“They had such a servant heart,” Shull said.

The service was a commemoration for a family known for its religious devotion and assistance to other people, church leaders said.

“It’s a time to come together,” said Coakley, who has called the Kellys friends as well as congregation members. “A time of healing, of comfort.”

This story was originally published March 22, 2017 at 9:19 PM with the headline "‘Heaven’s gain is our loss’: Cayce church mourns family lost in fire."