Two beautiful mothers and a 15-month-old boy lost their lives Monday afternoon in a tragic accident just north of Brundidge.

On Tuesday, family members and friends struggled to put into words their emotions in the wake of the loss.

Teresa Adams, 38, of Brundidge, is remembered as a wonderful mother of two boys and as beautiful person inside and out. “She was a kind and caring person,” said Debbie Adams, Teresa’s aunt. “She was an all-around lovely person, loved everybody and had plenty of friends.

“If you ever needed her to do anything for you, then she was there,” Adams said. “She was always there and never complained about doing anything for other people.”

Adams was killed when the vehicle she was driving crossed into the northbound lane of U.S. 231 just south of Troy and collided with a vehicle driven by 24-year-old Brittany Pugh. Pugh and her 15-month-old son, Shep, also were killed.

Adams’ aunt spoke highly of her niece and said just as much as she loved her family and friends, her family and friends loved and will dearly miss, her. “We had a family outing Sunday and everybody loved her,” Adams said. “She never met an enemy.”

“We want to give the other family our condolences too and let them know that we’re praying for them,” Adams said.

Brittany Shepard Pugh, 24, was a third-grade teacher at Barbour County Intermediate School and is remembered as having a sincere passion for teaching.

Gary Quick, Superintendent of Barbour County Schools, spoke highly of Pugh as a young teacher who loved her job.

“Mrs. Pugh was initially hired for the 2008-2009 school year and was completing her third year as a teacher at Barbour County Intermediate School,” Quick said. “From her first day, she provided an extremely positive impact to the students, faculty and administration of Barbour County Intermediate School.”

Quick said that Pugh’s zeal for teaching her children was apparent in her teaching methods in the classroom.

“Her passion for teaching and her concern for her students were obvious to everyone,” Quick said. “We, the Barbour County Schools community, are grieving the loss of an outstanding young educator.”

Stephanie Baker works with Clint Pugh, Brittany’s husband and father of Shep, at KW Plastics Recycling Division and remembers very well the love Clint and Brittany had for one another and their son.

“We are a family here at KW and we’ve been together through many good times, such as celebrating Clint and Brittany’s beautiful marriage of almost three years and the exciting birth of their son Shep a little more than a year ago,” Baker said. “We also stick together through tragic times such as this. We have had the pleasure of getting to know Brittany and getting to witness their love for each other and their love for their son.”

Baker said Clint is a family man, who leaves lasting impressions on those he meets and that anytime he comes in to work, he is usually the first to talk about his beautiful wife and share the latest news and pictures of their darling son with anyone.

“We have been getting calls and e-mails all day from our customers and friends in the industry all over the United States that Clint has built relationships with. Clint is a very well-liked and respected guy in plastics recycling and everyone is in such shock and mourning for Clint and his family,” Baker said. “All of us at KW Plastics are devastated by this loss and the pain that Clint now endures. We are lifting Clint in prayer and are asking for friends in both our local community and in our industry to join us. It’s really the only thing we know to do right now.”

Candace Nelson, a friend of Brittany’s, said she remembers Pugh as having been filled with grace and joy.

“When Brittany came around, she brought a smile to my face as well as to the faces of people nearby,” Nelson said. “She did that for everyone that knew her.”

Nelson said she remembered Pugh having once earned the title “Miss National Peanut Festival Queen,” which she said was a well-deserving title for such a beautiful young woman.

Nelson met Pugh at Troy University, where they both became quick friends.

“She pledged Alpha Gam, which was the sorority that I had been a part of,” Nelson said. “I’m a couple of years older than Brittany and, at that time, I didn’t know she would become such a dear friend of mine.”

Nelson said she believes the Lord had their paths cross for a reason and that reason soon became apparent.

“After college, Brittany married the man God brought into her life here in Troy and that man happened to be from a family I had known all my life,” Nelson said. “That man was Clint Pugh. Brittany was an amazing wife and loved Clint with an amazing love. After they married, they attended church at First Baptist Church here in Troy.”

Nelson said it was during this time, attending church with the Pughs, that she began to see just how beautiful of a person Brittany truly was and how loving and caring she was for her friends and for her children.

Nelson said that it was a string of beautiful moments that revealed the virtue that underscored Pugh’s character.

“After marrying Clint, her next beautiful moment was when she became a mommy,” Nelson said. “She was one of the best Mom’s I knew. She cherished every single moment with Shep, their son and precious gift from God.”

Nelson said Pugh’s life was truly genuine, allowing her faith and her love to shine through her beautiful personality.

“Brittany reflected the goodness of God’s heart and is one of those people that makes your life better just for having met her. I am thankful to God for having known Brittany and Shep,” Nelson said. “They and their family have a very special place in my heart.”

Brooke Terry, President of the Troy Junior Women’s League, worked close alongside Pugh.

“She was part of our education committee and, therefore she worked with our annual scholarship,” Terry said. “We are going to rename the Troy Junior Women’s League scholarship to the Brittany Shepard Pugh Memorial scholarship.”

Terry said Pugh reflected what the women’s league was all about.

“The Troy Junior Women’s League motto is ‘To do for the world more than the world does for you,’ and Brittany definitely believed this and exemplified it through her every day actions,” Terry said. “She was a wonderful wife, mother, teacher and friend. We will miss her so much and we will be in constant prayer for Clint and the family.”