EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — Community members gathered at two vigils Friday to honor the six workers who died in last week’s Amazon warehouse collapse.
The City of Edwardsville hosted a candlelight vigil at 10:00 a.m. at the Governor’s Plaza on South Main Street.
“These individuals went to work that day, like many of us, but did not have the opportunity to return home,” said Edwardsville Mayor Art Risavy.
A second vigil was held Friday night at the Amazon fulfillment center on Gateway Commerce Center Drive.
Six people died when a tornado hit the Amazon facility. They were identified as 28-year-old DeAndre S. Morrow of St. Louis; 62-year-old Kevin D. Dickey of Carlyle, Illinois; 29-year-old Clayton Lynn Cope of Alton, Illinois; 46-year-old Larry E. Virden of Collinsville, Illinois; 26-year-old Austin J. MacEwen of Edwardsville and 34-year-old Etheria S. Hebb of St. Louis.
Jeffrey Hebb, who lost his daughter Etheria in the collapse, spoke during the Friday night vigil.
“It’s like it tore my heart out,” he said. “It hurts me every day.”
Deandre Morrow’s aunt, Anitra Lee-Cole, said her family is heartbroken.
“You just never expect your family to be impacted by that, so it’s been very hard,” she said. “The last couple of days have been very hard.”
Some victims have already been laid to rest. Kevin dickey will be buried tomorrow.
Several GoFundMe pages have been set up for the families. For more information, visit: www.gofundme.com/c/act/tornado-outbreak-fundraisers
