2020 NCHS graduate dies in tragic car crash last week
Claire Myers was the sunshine for her mom, Carri.
While she may have shed a few tears when she found out she was pregnant with Claire, those tears were almost immediately replaced with joy.
In fact, Claire would tell others that those were just tears of joy.
“She was my sunshine,” Carri said. “She always had a smile on her face. She just enjoyed life. She could always see the best in people.”
Myers, 18, passed away from injuries sustained during a head-on collision on Jan. 20 around 7:50 a.m. on McKee Road. She was pronounced dead on the scene.
The driver and passenger of the other vehicle were both airlifted to the hospital. As of press time, the driver was still in the hospital while the passenger had been released, according to various reports.
Sheriff Joedy Pennington said it was difficult on the first responders who worked the crash scene.
“It’s one of the worst days on the job that I can remember,” Pennington said. “It was heartbreaking for all the first responders on the scene because we all knew her and her family. Our prayers are with both families.”
Claire was the youngest of four girls. Her parents are William and Carri Myers, and her sisters are Madalynn Myers, Mallory Spears (Wes), and Grace Myers.
She graduated from Newton County in the Class of 2020 and was studying forensic science at East Central Community College. She was active in school with powerlifting, soccer, Beta Club, and FFA and was a member of Beulah Baptist Church in Decatur.
Claire loved her dog, Jax, and even accompanied her during the drive-through graduation at Newton County after the COVID-19 pandemic changed the school’s graduation plans.
There was a good chance that you’ve eaten something that Claire had prepared at Zack Garvin’s Steakhouse in Newton. She’d worked there since she was 15 years old.
Janine Vincent, pastor’s wife at Clarke-Venable Baptist Church said she remembered Claire as a preschooler attending Vacation Bible School.
“At the conclusion of the music rotation and in the midst of a room full of 3- and 4-year-olds, a quiet voice of a preschooler could be heard, ‘Can I pray?’ It was Claire Myers. Claire never backed down from pursuing the important things in life. She later made a decision to become a Follower of Christ at Kids’ Camp as an eight year old and was baptized the same summer. Her journey continues to pave the way for others. I am thankful to have known Claire and am assured I will see her again,” Vincent said.
Everyone knew Claire as “Tator,” a nickname she got from when her dad would pick her up by her overalls, as he said it was just like picking up a sack of potatoes.
Claire was a fierce competitor. It began when she started karate. She was a blue belt and won the state championship as a 9-year-old.
“She’d never strike first, but she’d always strike last,” Grace said.
Claire and her dad shared a special bond through powerlifting. Claire won a south-state championship in 2018.
The competitor in Claire didn’t let her settle for second place, even if it required her doing something she’d never done before.
“In 2018, she (Claire) needed to deadlift 325 to win first place, but she told me that she had never done that before,” her sister, Grace, said. “I told her that I’d bet her $10 that she could do it. Sure enough, she went out there and did it and won first place.”
William said that Claire needed deadline 355 pounds to win state.
“She didn’t even ask how much she needed to lift,” William said. “All she said was, ‘Load the bar.’ It didn’t matter what she had to do, she would try it. She did lift it, although they red-lighted her on that, but she would always give everything she could. It didn’t matter what she had to do, just load the bar.”
Her boyfriend, Darren Winters, who works for Delta Directional on the pipeline, said he got to spend a lot more time with Claire over the last year. Before the pandemic hit, he’d be gone for a few months before returning home. However, he would come home much more frequently.
“She was always excited to see me come home, and I always looked forward to coming back home,” Winters said. “I am so glad that I got to spend so much time with her over the last year. It means so much to me.”
The family wanted to ask the community to continue to pray for the other family during their recovery from the wreck.
And they also said they were overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the community.
“I just want to thank every person who has offered their prayers and support for us,” William said.
“We especially want to thank Sheriff Joedy Pennington, Ginger Hand, Ryan Myers, Sammie Hand, the fire and rescue and all of the first responders,” Carri said. “They did an outstanding job. I cannot say how much we really appreciate for their help.”
