Brannon Worth Brady, Crystal Lee Higgins and Skylar Mark Brady Scholarship Endowment

Brannon Worth Brady was an only child and the kind of adult son who would stop by Bojangles to pick up breakfast for his parents on mornings when his job for Johnston County Utilities brought him close to home.

He had attended the heating and air conditioning program at Johnston Community College and his fiancé, Crystal Lee Higgins, graduated from the school’s medical assistant program in May, just a few months before their son, Skylar Mark Brady, was born in August 2008.

“You could tell they were going to be exceptional parents, just in those few days,” Brenda Brady said as she talked about her son and his young family.

Brannon and Crystal were taking six-day-old Skylar for his first visit to a pediatrician when their car was struck by a train near Princeton. All three of them died. Brannon was 25; Crystal 22.

Brenda and Brannon’s father, Ricky, decided to do something to remember them, establishing the Brannon Worth Brady, Crystal Lee Higgins and Skylar Mark Brady Scholarship Endowment.

Brannon and Crystal were only children and Skylar was the only grandchild in both families.

“We couldn’t send Skylar to college, but we could do something for someone else,” Mrs. Brady said.

“They would want people to use this as a way to make a better life for themselves,” Mrs. Brady said.

The scholarship’s top candidates will be employees or direct heirs of Johnston County Public Utilities, followed by any Johnston County government employee, then by students seeking a career in medical assisting.

The amount of any scholarship depends on the performance of the endowment fund.

Pictured left to right: Brannon Worth Brady, Skylar Mark Brady, Crystal Lee Higgins