Editor's note: The story is about two families who both experienced deep grief as a result of their respective airplane accidents. For Dean and Merav Maxwell, they lost their daughter, Grace, when the American Airlines plane crashed into a U.S. Army helicopter over the Potomac River in 2025. Just a few months later, Trish White, along with her husband, two children and a friend, crashed shortly after takeoff in their private plane that was headed to Cedarville, Ohio. Grace was a junior majoring in mechanical and biomedical engineering at Cedarville and Judah White, Trish's son, was a student at Cedarville majoring in cyber security.
Together, through these heartbreaking events, the Maxwells and Whites have come together to encourage one another and they share this story.
No one chooses the road of suffering, but sometimes God allows fellow travelers to ease the way.
That was true for the Maxwell and White families. When their stories were marked by separate tragedies in 2025, they found themselves walking similar paths of loss, recovery, faith, and hope. Along the way, they discovered the strength of Christian community and the comfort that comes when God's people carry one another's burdens.
On January 29, 2025, Dean and Merav Maxwell lost their daughter, Grace, a Cedarville University student, in the American Airlines crash over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Just weeks later, on March 9, fellow Cedarville student Judah White was aboard a private plane that crashed shortly after takeoff in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. All five on board — Judah, his parents Matt and Trish, along with his sister Aliyah and her friend — survived, but both Judah and Matt sustained severe injuries that led to months of surgeries, recovery, and rehabilitation. While the circumstances differed, both families suddenly found themselves relying on the Lord — and each other — in ways they never imagined.
Though one family was grieving a devastating loss and the other was facing a long road to recovery, both found themselves sustained by God’s faithfulness expressed through His people.
Family and friends carried much of the day-to-day burden, showing up with meals, helping hands, and willing hearts. Churches prayed and stood beside them through long and difficult days. Meanwhile, a wave of encouragement flowed from people they had never met, including Cedarville students, alumni, faculty, staff, and parents.
For the Maxwells, much of that support came through stories about Grace.
Grace was tenacious, disciplined, and exceptionally bright. An engineering student with a quick wit and a deep love for learning, she could have attended many universities, but she chose Cedarville because she wanted a place where she could grow in her faith while pursuing academic excellence.
As they navigated grief and recovery, the two families found encouragement from one another. Their connection grew through the Cedarville community that had united around them, first in mourning the loss of Grace and then in praying for Judah and his family after the Lancaster crash. Together, they found strength in the prayers and support surrounding them.
Recently, Dean, Merav, and Trish reflected on that journey during the Cedarville Stories podcast, with Mark D. Weinstein, MSOL, sharing how God met them in difficult days through the faithfulness of His people.
The road has not been easy. Yet both families have seen God's hand through the kindness of friends, the faithfulness of family, and the encouragement of a University community that cared enough to reach out, even from afar. Their story is a reminder that God often brings comfort through fellow travelers and that even in life's hardest moments, He remains faithful.
Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences and professional fields. With 7,265 students, it is among Ohio's largest private universities and is ranked among the nation’s top five evangelical universities in the Wall Street Journal’s 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.