The storm stole more than 100 lives in North Carolina. Here are their stories.

The damage in Western North Carolina is there for all to see — from collapsed homes and shuttered businesses to crumbling roads, with debris lining riverbeds and creeks straying from their normal routes.

Yet, beyond the visible destruction, a deeper toll remains: the loss of more than a hundred lives in the state, forever altering families, friends and communities.

On the outskirts of Fairview, a community known as “Craigtown” feels the loss deeply. Eleven members of the Craig family and others from the area died after raging floodwaters triggered mudslides that leveled parts of the neighborhood on Sept. 27.

Among them were two volunteer firefighters, an uncle and nephew. They were attempting to rescue people trapped in one landslide when they were buried in a second. 

Then there was Terri Pack. Around Sona Pharmacy, everybody knew her as “Work Mama.” She never forgot a birthday, handing out the corniest gifts. 

She celebrated every holiday, especially the obscure ones related to her work – National Pharmacy Day, for example. “Even the funny ones,” said her daughter, Marissa Pack. “Like, you know, today’s National Bubble Gum Day.”

Marissa Pack said Craigtown is now “dark, it’s quiet, it’s not home anymore, and I think that’s where we’re all struggling.” 

About an hour north in Burnsville, four members of a family who had fled the war in Ukraine, including a sixth-grader, drowned.

Just 15 minutes away from there, in Green Mountain, a mother and father who were set to marry in just over six weeks and their two children, ages 7 and 9, died in the storm. 

This month, the state released a list of names of the 104 people whose deaths were officially linked to Helene. The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer set out to document their lives.

Buncombe County, home to Craigtown — and to the region’s largest city of Asheville — recorded the highest number of fatalities. According to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services’ list, 42 of the 104 deaths occurred in Buncombe. 

Yancey County, home to Burnsville and Green Mountain, and Henderson County each lost 11 lives.

Beyond the tragedy, these were people who had full lives — jobs, hobbies, loved ones, and families and friends who will remember them for far more than how they left. 

Chase Garrell, who rented an apartment from Terri and Freddie Pack at their Fairview home, was known to his niece and nephews as “funcle,” for fun uncle. 

Garrell loved smoking meats, hosting cookouts, and his white 2015 Wimbledon Mustang, said his mother, Tammy Watson. 

“His urn has a Mustang on top and the symbol on the front,” she said. 

Maureen Mains is remembered for making the “best damn carrot cake.” David Carver’s friend called him a “hardworking man of Christian faith.” Gabriel Gonzalez was affectionately dubbed “the happy one” by his coworkers, while Jody Henderson is remembered as a “free spirit.” 

The N&O and Observer collected these memories through interviews, obituaries, public records and reports from media outlets such as the Asheville Watchdog and the Asheville Citizen-Times. In some cases, we found very little information about people who died. If you knew any of them and have information to share, please reach out at metroeds@newsobserver.com.

Here’s a glimpse into the lives of these 104 individuals and how they will be remembered.

This story was originally published January 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM.