Community Corner

Fairfield Resident Killed in S. Carolina Crash

Brian Michael McGrath, 22, will be remembered as a 'loving son, brother and a great friend.'

Editor's note: The two women who died in the car crash were not from Columbia, S.C., as was initially reported. 

A Fairfield resident and University of South Carolina history major died Wednesday morning in a car crash that killed three others, reported Thursday.

Brian M. McGrath, 22, a former Ridgefield resident who attended Ridgefield High School, was the son of Patrick and Evelyn Rowan McGrath, according to the obituary published on the Redgate-Hennessy Funeral Home website.

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“Brian will be remembered as a loving son, brother and a great friend,” McGrath’s family said in the obituary.  

McGrath was traveling with three friends, according to Spring Valley Patch. , 22, also a USC student, attended Ridgefield High School with McGrath. The two were reportedly best friends.

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The crash also killed two women, Kelsey C. Harris, 23, from Kentucky, and Melinda S. Pipp, 24, of Wisconsin. Harris was a USC student.

USC President Harris Pastides posted a message on the university's website Thursday. 

"Losing a young life is the most painful experience, and yesterday four vibrant spirits were lost," Pastides said in the statement. "Please keep their surviving family and friends in your thoughts and prayers."

Friends may greet McGrath’s family on Saturday from 2-4 p.m. and from 6-8 p.m. at at 4 Gorham Place in Trumbull, according to the Redgate-Hennessy website.


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