GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Early Sunday morning, a wrong-way driver hit and killed a man on US-131, who was later identified as a local pastor on his way to preach.
Dean Elliott, 63-year-old man from Byron Center, died on Sunday after a southbound vehicle struck his car as he was traveling north on US 131, just south of Burton Street.
He is mourned by his former congregation atFennville Assembly of God Church, who said Elliott served as the interim pastor there for two years.
"He really loved the people well during that transition and came back a few times to preach," said the church. "He always loved like Jesus does, freely and without restraint."
He was headed to a preaching assignment when the crash happened, the church said in a Sunday Facebook post.
According to those who knew him, Elliott reached many communities, both local and global. The pastor of Northpoint Assembly of God in Holland called Elliot a "dear friend."
"He was a traveling missionary that we supported financially," said Pastor Joe Coffman. "He was also my friend of 40 years, so he would be a guest speaker in our church."
Coffman said Elliott traveled to many places as a missionary, spending time in India, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.
Both Northpoint and Fennville Assembly of God are keeping Elliott's wife and children in their prayers.
Last March, another family was left to grieve after a drunk driver, going the wrong-way down US-131, hit and killed their daughter.
Willow Yon, a 21-year-old art student at Kendall College, died in 2021 after being hit by a wrong-way driver between 28th Street and Burton Street, not far from where Elliott was struck.
In an interview with FOX 17, her parents Paul and Denise Yon called on the Michigan Department of Transportation to install warning and detection systems between Pearl and 28th Streets, which flash lights and send messages to police when a driver enters a road from the wrong way.
They would also like to see more education on the dangers of driving under the influence and increased road patrols by local police agencies.
"We don't want to see anybody go through this," said Denise. "It's hell."
According to state police data, the number of wrong-way traffic crashes hit a five-year high in 2021, with 421 reported.
Forty people have died as a result of wrong-way traffic crashes from 2017-2021.
READ: Family of US-131 wrong-way crash in 2022 pushes for better safety along highway
