Prayer service for South Jersey pastor, wife after deadly crash
A South Jersey church is holding a prayer service Wednesday evening for a pastor who was killed in a weekend motorcycle crash and his wife, who was critically injured in the accident.
A South Jersey church is holding a prayer service Wednesday evening for a pastor who was killed in a weekend motorcycle crash and his wife, who was critically injured in the accident.
The service for Larry and Leslie House will take place at 7 p.m. at the Celebration Community Church, 72 Hogback Road in Bordentown. The church, where the 57-year-old was a pastor, said the gathering is not a memorial service but meant to bring people together to pray for the family and Leslie House's healing.
The crash happened about 8 p.m. Sunday, when a Subaru Forester crashed into the couple's motorcycle at the intersection of Woodlane and Smithville Roads in Eastampton, police said.
Leslie House, 57, remains in critical condition, Sgt. Dan Snyder said Wednesday.
The Subaru driver, 62-year-old Susan Deserio, suffered minor injuries.
Snyder said the circumstances of the crash remained under investigation and no charges had been filed as of Wednesday. Speed, alcohol and drugs are not considered factors, he said.
House was ordained in 1991, the non-denominational Christian church wrote on its Facebook page.
"Larry was more than just a pastor, he was an example of a great husband, loving father, brother, faithful friend and mighty man of God," Pastor Wayne Lebak wrote on the page. "He lived what he preached and never apologized for standing up for the principles of Christ. He was a man of action but never forgot to be compassionate and caring with his words."
House grew up in East Windsor, N.J., and graduated from Hightstown High School and Mercer County College before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force, according to his biography on the church's website. He later worked in Florida as a NASA subcontractor and at the Kennedy Space Center.
He moved back to New Jersey to start a new career in 1986 after he "heard the voice of The Lord calling them to leave Florida," the biography says.
The couple, who were married in 1977, have four daughters and six grandchildren, according to the biography. Both were also involved in the church as youth ministry leaders and marriage counselors.
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