Holly Pond High School graduate Josh Pinkard, one of the victims in Friday’s workplace shooting near Chicago, grew up in a devoutly Christian family and continued to honor his faith until his untimely death, according to family and friends.

As the news of Pinkard’s death moved through Holly Pond, where his mother, Bobbie, and uncle, the Rev. David Chambers, grew up, and Fairview, where his father, Tim, and mother now live, the communities were devastated, Alabama State Rep. Randall Shedd, R-Fairview, said Saturday evening.

“I knew Josh and his parents. They have always been wonderful, hard-working, God-fearing people,” said Shedd, who served as Fairview’s mayor for two decades.

“This is a tragedy for the family, our communities, and our entire country. Everyone is devastated by this; Josh and his family were so well liked and respected here.”

Pinkard graduated from Holly Pond and enrolled at Mississippi State University, where he earned an engineering degree and met his wife, Terra, of Laurel, Mississippi. He also earned a master’s degree from the University of Alabama. They were the parents of three children – a daughter and two sons.

For more than 13 years, Pinkard, 37, had worked for Mueller Water Products, mostly in Albertville. In April 2018, he was promoted to plant manager at the company’s Aurora, Illinois, plant where he and four co-workers died at the hands of another employee, whom was about to be terminated, according to Associated Press reports.

“Josh was probably one of the most likable people you would ever meet,” said Chambers, who is the minister of First Baptist Church of Fairview. “He was athletic and loved sports. He was a great husband and father. 

“Ultimately, it goes back to he was a solid Christian, and he loved people. If you met him, you knew he was genuine, and that’s why he made so many friends. You couldn’t find people who didn’t like him, because they knew he was sincere.” 

Chambers said Pinkard’s family has received prayers and condolences from across the community and country.

“Some we have known a long time, and some we haven’t,” Chambers said. “We have heard from people across the United States. There has been a lot of love and prayers and that means a lot to us.”

Pinkard’s father is the minister at Lonesome Dove Cowboy Church in Holly Pond.

In addition to his wife, children, parents, aunts and uncles, Pinkard is survived by a twin sister, Gidget Wright of Cullman County.

Right after learning Friday that he was being fired from his job of 15 years at the Henry Pratt Co. in Aurora, Gary Martin pulled out a gun and began shooting, killing three people in the room with him and two others just outside and wounding a sixth employee, police said Saturday.

Five police officers responding to the scene were also wounded before the shooter was killed.

Martin, 45, had six arrests over the years in Aurora, for what Police Chief Kristen Ziman described as “traffic and domestic battery-related issues” and for violating an order of protection. He also had a 1995 felony conviction for aggravated assault in Mississippi that should have prevented him from buying his gun, Ziman said.

He was able to buy the Smith and Wesson .40-caliber handgun on March 11, 2014, because he was issued a firearm owner’s identification card two months earlier after passing an initial background check. 

It wasn’t until he applied for a concealed carry permit five days after buying the gun and went through a more rigorous background check using digital fingerprinting that his Mississippi conviction was flagged and his firearm owner’s ID car was revoked, Ziman said. Once his card was revoked, he could no longer legally have a gun.

Information about the shooter was provided by The Associated Press.