LDS missionary killed in accident in Africa

An LDS Church missionary from Sandy serving in South Africa was killed in a car rollover Friday night.

According to church officials, Chad Steven Wayman, 21, was fatally injured after swerving to avoid hitting a pedestrian crossing a highway near Johannesburg. Emergency medical personnel responding to the accident said Wayman died at the scene.

Wayman's companion, 20-year-old Draper resident Stephen Riska Turnbow, suffered minor cuts and bruises.

"We pray that the families and friends of Elder Wayman and Elder Turnbow will be blessed with a spirit of peace and comfort during this difficult time," church officials said in a press release issued Saturday night.

The accident is a "meridian in time moment" for Wayman's family, Bart Glover, an uncle, said Saturday night.

"Chad was an all-American, all-around good kid who could do pretty much anything he decided to do," Glover said. "He really came into his own recently with his relationship to the church and a desire to serve a mission."

Wayman, who was due home in September, was a "rock" in personality and someone everybody seemed to gather around.

"And we're all gathering again around him, not in the way we may have been hoping for, but in a way that will be a homecoming and a departure," Glover said. "And we'll reaffirm and reassure each other in our shared knowledge that Chad's life hasn't ended but has gone on ahead of us.

Glover said that his nephew had intended on being an engineer and attended school in Arizona prior to his mission.

"He was a hunter for all seasons and enjoyed being around people," Glover said. "He was really enjoying his mission and was really feeling at home, especially lately. Elder Turnbow is from just down the road in Draper, and he and Chad were in Little League together as kids.

"He was so young, so full of life, and this comes as a surprise for sure," Glover said. "He's been half a world away and still in our hearts the past year and a half."

Funeral services will not be scheduled until Wayman's body has been returned to Utah. South African and American embassy officials have advised the family to expect to wait at least seven days.