Local Children Killed in Plane Crash Were ‘Happy Kids’

By Josh Mitchell

Corinth Today News Editor

Two children who were killed in a plane crash Saturday were “happy kids” who had a “wonderful life,” their great aunt, who lives in Corinth, said.

Betty Burrell said she and her husband Bill practically raised the children, Austin Day and Kinsley Wilson, who died in the plane crash in Georgia.

The children’s mother, Melody Loveless, also lives in Corinth.

Kinsley loved attending Corinth Elementary School and lived with Burrell on County Road 715 in Corinth.

Austin lived in Alcorn County until last August when he went to stay with his grandmother, who lived outside of Chattanooga, Tenn.

The children, who were both 10, grew up in Alcorn County. They also went to Alcorn Central Elementary School before Kinsley was transferred to Corinth city schools and Austin moved to Tennessee.

The children’s grandmother, Mary Jo Yarbrough, and her husband, the pilot, Dexter Lee Gresham of Etowah, Tenn., were also killed in the crash.

The last time the Burrells saw the children was June 26 at the Iuka airport. They drove Kinsley to the airport to meet Austin, Gresham and Yarbrough, who is Burrell’s sister-in-law, to take a vacation trip to Mobile, Ala.

On the way to the Iuka airport, Kinsley said she was going to get her driver’s license when she turned 16 in six years. Kinsley said she was going to drive Burrell everywhere then.

At the airport, Austin asked if he could stay with Burrell and Bill, whom he called nanny and papaw. He said he wanted to stay behind and help papaw at the shop.

But it was thought best that Austin go on the trip because he had not seen his sister since Christmas, but they were close and talked on the phone often. Kinsley missed her brother “terribly,” Burrell noted.

“Now I’ve lost both of them,” Burrell said.

The crash happened on the way back from Mobile to Etowah, Tenn. where Yarbrough lived. They were going to go to Dollywood when they got back to Tennessee.

Kinsley was born at Magnolia Regional Health Center in Corinth, and Austin was born in Memphis because he was premature at 6 months. He weighed 1 pound, 15 ounces at birth.

Burrell and her husband are the children’s great aunt and uncle but were more like grandparents to them. They were both “real good kids,” she said. She and her husband made sure they had “plenty.”

Kinsley was a “whiz” on computers, and both of the children were smart, she said. Kinsley turned 10 the day before they left on the trip.

Burrell talked to Austin and Kinsley the day before the crash and heard they were having a good time on the trip. Kinsley said they had seen the dolphins, the Naval ship, museums and went swimming.

Burrell tried to call Saturday but did not get an answer, and law enforcement told her about the crash Sunday.

The children had flown before and enjoyed it, she said. The vacation trip had been planned for awhile. The children did not get to see each other over spring break because they were off at different times.

Coping with the loss of the children is hard, Burrell said. Her grandchildren are calling her regularly to check on her, and people are stopping by to make sure she and her husband are OK. They are getting a lot of support from their church, North Corinth Baptist Church.

It will be difficult in the coming weeks as the children come back home to be laid to rest in Bethlehem Baptist Cemetery in Alcorn County where other family members are buried.

They are just taking it “day by day” and praying, said Burrell, who referred to the “good Lord.”

Corinthian Funeral Home will be handling the arrangements.