INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Pastor And Wife Who Lost Two Sons In 2015 Car Accident Welcome Twin Boys

By Patricia Ramirez
Published on: 13:05 PST, Jul 12, 2017

In May of 2015, North Carolina pastor Gentry Eddings and his wife, Hadley, lost their two sons, 2-year-old Dobbs and yet-to-be-born Reed, in a tragic car accident. The accident was reportedly the fault of another driver, who rear-ended the family in his work truck. Twenty-eight-year-old Matthew Deans was the driver of the pickup, and he was ultimately sentenced to over two years in prison for the fatal accident.

Little Dobbs was reportedly killed nearly instantly in the high-impact car accident, which reportedly occurred on his parents’ sixth wedding anniversary. Doctors tried desperately to save Reed (who was 37 weeks gestation) by performing an emergency c-section, but he passed away within just a few days of the surgery.

The pastor and his wife rose to local fame when they publicly forgave the man who decimated their family, reports Fox News.

For his part, Matthew Deans did not force the bereaved family to endure a trial in the case. He pleaded guilty and tearfully apologized to the pastor and his wife for the loss of their sons in September of 2015.

On Monday, just over two years since their tragic loss, Gentry and Hadley Eddings, who had endured so much with such grace and forgiveness, reportedly welcomed twin sons into their family. What’s more, the new babies were reportedly named to honor the big brothers they will never meet.

The pastor and his wife first announced that they were expecting back in January. The announcement was made to their congregation, the Forest Hill Church, who were delighted to learn that their beloved pastor and his family was expected to increase by two following the couple’s horrific losses in 2015.

Earlier this week, the church’s director of communications of announced that the eagerly-anticipated twins, both boys, had been born and were doing well — mom too. Local media outlets, including WSOCTV 9, quickly picked up on the story, and it soon went viral.

The new twins, Isiah Dobbs and Amos Reed, are named after their brothers, but with a bit of a Biblical twist. After all, it’s God that the pastor and his wife (and their congregation) are thanking for their two new sons, despite the horrible loss they suffered just over two years ago. According to Stacey Martin, Forest Hill Church’s director of communication, God has created “beauty from ashes” in the lives of the pastor and his wife, as well as the lives of their two new sons.

“We are thrilled for Gentry and Hadley and are continually amazed at how God continues to redeem their story. From the tragic loss of their son, Dobbs and Reed to the remarkable birth of their twins, Isaiah and Amos – God is creating beauty from ashes. And we – along with the Eddings and Reed families – give Him all the glory.”

As StarNewsOnline reports, Matthew Deans, the driver in the crash that killed Dobbs and Reed was sentenced to 27 to 32 months in prison for the accident. He was reportedly texting about drugs at the time of the wreck. However, in late 2016, he was released and order to serve 36 months probation in lieu of completing his prison time.

The man who killed the sons of the North Carolina pastor and his wife was ordered to undergo a drug evaluation and seek treatment as conditions of his early release.

[Featured Image by Sunny Tank/Shutterstock]

Share this article: Pastor And Wife Who Lost Two Sons In 2015 Car Accident Welcome Twin Boys
pregnancy
More from Inquisitr