LOUISVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — As the horrific scene unfolded Monday, Crystal Branson was glued to television coverage of the shooting at Old National Bank in Louisville, praying for her former colleague, Deana Eckert.
“I just couldn't believe it,” Branson said. “My husband said last night, ‘you just keep watching this, what are you looking for?’ and I said, ‘I just can't believe it. Until I hear them say her name I can't believe it.’”
Monday evening, it happened. Police announced that Eckert, whom Branson had worked closely with for 20 years, had died at the hospital.
Branson had worked with Eckert at the former BB&T bank on West Vine.
“You get up on a Monday morning after Easter – hopefully she had a wonderful weekend – you go into work not expecting anything like that,” Branson. “You go to give,you go to make things better, to help people.”
Branson says Eckert did all of those things for her banking team and her customers.
“She just instilled the family values in us, and even our team, we were like a family, we supported each other,” Branson said. “If we had sickness or a death, she always said ‘family first.’”
Also in the bank Monday morning was Jim Tutt, once a longtime commercial banker in Lexington.
Tutt went to the University of Kentucky, where he played bass drum in the marching band and studied business.
Tracy Lovan played in the marching band with Tutt and remembers him as someone everyone loved.
"Just a very friendly, sweet guy but also just one of the smartest guys that I think I've ever met,” Lovan said.
Tutt often tutored other business students, Lovan said.
Robin Gooch was a freshman in the band’s percussion line when Tutt was an upperclassman.
“He had an infectious smile, always very jovial,” Gooch said. “Just such a pleasant person to be around.”
Lovan said she hopes Tutt will be remembered not for what happened to him, but for the life he lived.
"He was a family guy,” Lovan said. “He was a very happy grandfather, a doting dad, doting grandfather. And loved his work, loved his family, loved his wife."
