A scholarship in memory of homicide victim

Out of tragedy comes good for future generations. Members of the family of the late Oconee County homicide victim Sandra Myers are establishing a scholarship in her memory. The proceeds from that scholarship are intended to help West-Oak High School graduates pursue degrees in nursing. Sandra Myers became interested in nursing at a young age and that interest filtered down to Myers’ daughter, Megan Haase, who became a nurse. Sandra Myers and her aunt, Clarine Smith, were the victims of a double homicide in 2012 at a home on the rural Smith Farm Road near Westminster. They were caring for an elderly man, Nicolas Bonelli, who was arrested and charged with their murders. Bonelli was remanded to the custody of the State Department of Mental Health, where he died a short time later. About his late wife, Frank Myers said, “She always had a love for young people. She and I worked with the youth at one point at our church when our kids were younger. She had an interest in people and an interest in education.” You can contribute to the Sandra S. Myers Memorial Scholarship by sending a check to the Foothills Community Foundation, POB 1228, Anderson, SC 29622 or contribute online at www.foothillsfoundation.org and follow the appropriate link. Sandra Myers’ daughter, Megan Haase, says the hope is to accumulate enough in the fund to begin awarding a scholarship to a deserving West-Oak student in the spring of 2014.