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Victims of the Emmons fire
The Emmons fire on Jan. 13, 2007, killed nine people. Here is information about the victims:
Mary Biss, 69
After spending several years in California, Mary Biss moved back to Huntington in the 1980s, after her husband died. Biss is survived by her two sons, Michael Macera of Winchester, Ky., and Steven Macera of California.
Biss, who suffered from pulmonary disease, loved living downtown, said her niece, Lisa Tomlin of Ceredo. She liked to walk downtown and take the TTA. She liked keeping up with city affairs and debating politics, Tomlin said.
"She liked to debate politics and watch Court TV," Tomlin said. "She didn't want to win, but she liked to debate. And it was hard for her not to win because she was so well-informed."
Joseph Briar Harmon, 40
Joseph Briar Harmon was a Marshall University student, the son of Sid and Jeannie Tutwiler Harmon.
Angel Lucas, 17
Angel, one of three Lucas siblings lost in the fire, worked at The House of David Christian Nightclub, according to friends.
"She had a thirst for God," said Hollie Holdren, a 20-year-old Marshall University student.
"She was always here, always searching. She served a purpose here, and I don't think she left anything unfinished. She was very willing to love."
Ben Lucas, 19
Ben Lucas was a student at Marshall University, according to friends of his sister, Angel.
"I met Ben once, and I know that he believed in God," said Angel's friend Hollie Holdren. "He was a Christian."
Courtney Chatfield, another friend and former co-worker of Angel, said the Lucas family was close.
"I met Ben, and he was kind of quiet," Chatfield said. "He came out of his shell, though, and he had a sweet spirit."
Quintin Lucas, 14
Quintin Lucas was the younger brother of victims Angel and Ben Lucas. He was visiting the two, who shared an apartment. He lived in Lincoln County, W.Va.
"I know he was always on the computer," said Nathan Cron, a friend of Angel Lucas. "He had two computers and loved being online."
Ann F. Saleh and son Seth Justus, 7
Seth Justus was a first-grader at Spring Hill Elementary. Ann F. Saleh was his mother.
"He was a little first-grader, and he was a very sweet little boy," Spring Hill Principal Pamela Bailey said.
Joseph Szilvasi, 41
A Marshall graduate student, Joseph Szilvasi suffered from vision and other disabilities and was a client of Mountain State Centers for Independent Living. He also had served on the state board for the West Virginia Independent Living Council. Friend Russel Bragg shared these thoughts about him:
"When I heard he may have been a victim in the fire, I called his cell phone, and his outgoing message said the normal stuff about, 'This is Joe. Leave a message,' but then there's a part that gives me goose bumps. He said, 'May God be your friend, and walk with the angels. Happy holidays, and take it minute by minute.' That message says who he was better than I can."
Beatrice Devore Yancey, 45
What Billie Ruth Day will miss most about her daughter, Devore Yancey, is her smile.
"Devore had a smile that would melt your heart," she said of her 45-year-old daughter. "If you were a person who had a problem and you went to see her, by the time you left, you'd be laughing. She was just that kind of person."
Yancey was a mother of three children -- Stacie and Tai Yancey and Andrea Crews, all of Huntington. She loved her family, Tai Yancey said.
She had lived in Emmons apartments about seven years, recently moving from one of the upper floors to the ground floor because she had broken her foot. She had a special boot, but had a hard time walking, Stacie Yancey said.
"She always found the good in everybody," Stacie Yancey said.
