The two young boys killed alongside their parents and grandfather in a small plane crash after a baseball tournament in upstate New York are being remembered by loved ones as star athletes who had bright futures ahead of them.
James Van Epps, 12, and Harrison Van Epps, 10, died alongside parents Laura and Ryan Van Epps, both 42, when a plane flown by their maternal grandfather, Roger Beggs, crashed Sunday afternoon in Masonville.
“It’s just a massive tragedy for our family and the end of five great lives, especially young lives,” said their paternal grandfather, Jim Van Epps.
The family was flying back home to the Atlanta suburb of Milton after watching 12-year-old James’ baseball team play in a tournament in Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Both sons were gifted athletes and students, their grandfather said, noting 10-year-old Harrison was an up-and-coming lacrosse player.
“Ryan and Laura supported their boys in whatever endeavor they wanted to do,” he added.
Online records show that Beggs held a pilot’s license. Jim Van Epps said Laura Van Epps’ father had volunteered to fly the family to upstate New York and stayed to watch his grandson’s tournament with them.
Touching tributes flooded in after the single-engine Piper PA-46 crashed around 2 p.m. Sunday, not long after taking off from a regional airport in Oneonta. Hours later, the plane’s wreckage was found in the town of Masonville, about 125 miles northwest of New York City.
On Monday, the Oneonta Women’s Softball league paid tribute to James, who was participating in the tournament, and the other members of his family in a moving Facebook post.
“Tonight, we take a moment of silence for Cooperstown All Star Village ball player JR Van Epps and his four family members who lost their lives in a tragic plane crash on their route back home yesterday. Never forget to hold those you cherish close; they can be gone in an instant,” they wrote.
The team shared an image of their gear laid out in the slain boy’s initials as part of the tribute.
“For the love of the game,” they added.
In a separate Facebook post the Van Epps family honored their loved ones, writing: “In the wake of a heartbreaking tragedy, we mourn the loss of our family. Yesterday, we received the devastating news that Ryan, Laura, James Ryan, Harrison Van Epps and Laura’s father Roger Beggs were involved in a fatal plane crash, and our hearts broken.”
“As we grapple with this unimaginable loss, let us come together to remember and celebrate the beautiful lives they lived. Their kindness, laughter, and love will forever be etched in our hearts,” the statement continued.”
“Please keep their loved ones and our family in your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time. May we find strength and solace in the memories and the outpouring of love from all who knew them,” the family added.
The plane was headed to Cobb County International Airport in Atlanta with a fueling stop in West Virginia when it crashed, police said.
Officials have not shared the cause of the crash.
Neighbors remembered the family as being “the kindest” and “sweetest.”
“We were neighbors. We would see each other every day and we’d always say hi to the boys and they would come over sometimes. They just lived across the street, and we would always wave and say hi and they were lovely,” neighbor Caroline Slayton told Atlanta News First.
“We’re all just devastated. They were the kindest family and the sweetest people.”
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said on X that he and his family were praying for the victims’ families and offered “our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved them.”
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
