Funeral held for sports reporter killed in plane crash

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Funeral services were held Saturday for Louisiana sports reporter Carley McCord, who died last week in a plane crash in Lafayette.

The 30-year-old was among five who were killed in the crash as they headed to the Peach Bowl to see Louisiana State University play the Oklahoma Sooners in Atlanta. McCord was the daughter-in-law of the LSU offensive coordinator, Steve Ensminger.

McCord’s funeral was held at St. Jean Vianney Church in Baton Rouge. Memorial services were held in the church parish hall after the funeral.

Family asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to a memorial scholarship fund set up in McCord’s honor. The fund will benefit women pursing a degree in sports journalism at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, where McCord was a student.

Funeral services for the other victims were also held this week. Services were held Thursday for Gretchen D. Vincent, 51, and her son Michael Walker Vincent, 15, in Lafayette. A Catholic funeral Mass was held for Robert Vaughn Crisp II, 59, on Friday in Mamou. A memorial service was held for the plane’s pilot, Ian E. Biggs. 51, on Saturday in Lafayette.

The sole surviving passenger, Stephen Wade Berzas. 37, remained hospitalized in critical condition at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Lafayette. Another person, Danielle Britt, is hospitalized at University Medical Center in New Orleans after suffering serious burns when her vehicle flipped and caught on fire as the plane crashed to the ground.