Photo by Derek Redd The Rev. Mike Palmer, pastor at Triadelphia United Methodist Church, stands with the new memorial for the nine people killed in the flash floods of June 14.

TRIADELPHIA — As the time passes following the deadly floods of June 14, residents in those flood-stricken areas have continued to move forward, to rebuild and to push the memories of that horrible night to the backs of their minds. Yet one thing they won’t forget are the nine people who died that night from the devastating flood waters.

At the front of Triadelphia United Methodist Church — sitting in one of the hardest-hit areas of Ohio County — a new memorial has risen to honor the memories of those nine. It will look different later than what it does now, but it will be permanent, an everlasting reminder of the lives lost.

Nine wooden crosses bearing the names of the nine who died — Michael Bokanovich, Travis Creighton, Lisa McMasters, Sandra Parsons, Jesse Pearson, Kyleigh Shotton, Parker Shotton, Michael Veronis and Connie Veronis — now stand in front of the church’s marquee. The Rev. Mike Palmer, pastor at Triadelphia United Methodist, said they were a gift from Newbridge Church in Wheeling.

Newbridge Lead Pastor Chris Figaretti said the idea came about a week or two ago. Members of Eight Days of Hope, which had come to Ohio County to help in flood recovery, showed him a picture of something similar, and Figaretti decided to implement it here.

“I saw the picture and said, boy, that would be helpful, to have a place where people could place flowers and other memorials and remember those that we lost,” he said.

Lowe’s donated the lumber and a couple of contractors who attend Newbridge built the crosses, which were placed in front of the church Wednesday evening. Each cross includes a permanent marker, so anyone who wants to write a message on one of the crosses to one of those lost can do so.

Palmer said those crosses will remain in front of the church marquee in perpetuity. He hopes to use woodburning tools to permanently etch the names of those lost — and possibly some of the messages written to those people — into the wood. Then, he’ll shellac the crosses to protect them from the weather.

That’s just part of the plan, Palmer said. The marquee that currently stands in front of the church will be mostly taken down. It will be rebuilt to add a plaque with the names of the nine lives lost carved on it.

That monument will carry with it a very important message to the people of Triadelphia, Palmer said.

“We will survive,” he said. “We will never forget. Anybody who heard about this (flood) or read about it or seen it on YouTube or Facebook, they can drive by and see (the monument). This brings it home.”

A little over a month since the floods hit, Palmer said things have gotten, maybe not better, but easier. The tents that sit outside his church — offering a hot meal, some needed supplies or just a shady place to relax — continue to serve flood victims and volunteers helping them rebuild. Instead of 1,200 served a day, Palmer said he’ll see 300 or 400 a day.

“You can see they’ve taken that next step in their life,” Palmer said. “They’re saying, ‘OK, we got the mud out. Let’s take a breather now. Let’s continue on, start building our lives back up the best we can.'”

At some point, Palmer said, the tents will come down. The church’s work, however, won’t end. The stage in the church’s basement is being converted into a pantry where flood victims can more easily scan the shelves for the items they need. The kitchen will soon be back in operation, feeding those who are hungry.

And the monument to those nine people will remain as well, sitting in full view along National Road, making sure everyone who drives by remembers what — and who — was lost.