MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Who are Gwen Shamblin Lara's children? She had 2 kids from 1st marriage, son-in-law presumed dead

A plane carrying Gwen Shamblin Lara, the popular Christian diet guru along with her husband and five members of Remnant Fellowship Church crashed

On Saturday, May 29, a Cessna C501 carrying the Christian diet guru Gwen Shamblin Lara along with her husband and five other members of the Remnant Fellowship Church crashed into a lake in Tennessee. The passengers are now presumed dead by the authorities. The plane had taken off from Smyrna Rutherford County Airport at 10.53 am and shortly after, it slammed into the water in Percy Priest Lake in Smyrna. 

The passengers on board the Cessna are J. Lara, Gwen S. Lara, Jennifer J. Martin, David L. Martin, Jessica Walters, Jonathan Walters, and Brandon Hannah according to a statement from Rutherford County officials. The plane which was headed to Palm Beach International Airport is reportedly owned by Shamblin Lara and her husband Joe Lara and is registered under JL&GL Productions LP. Brandon Hannah is Lara's son-in-law, married to their daughter Elizabeth Hannah.

READ MORE

Who was Dixie Lewis? Author Michael Lewis' daughter, 19, and boyfriend killed in car crash

How did Mark Eaton die? Former NBA All-Star dead at 64, fans say 'lost a legend'

Who are Gwen Shamblin's Lara's children?

Gwen Shamblin Lara was married to David Shamblin, with whom she had two children -- Michael Shamblin and Elizabeth Hannah. The two got married in 1978 and they divorced in 2018. She married Joe Lara in 2018. She also has seven grandchildren. Elizabeth Hannah, Lara's daughter sent a private message to the families of members who were on the plane in which she explained that the Cessna "had to go down for a controlled, quick landing" according to WTVF. 

The search efforts continued to try to rescue the passengers with dive teams and recovery crews until late Saturday night. Elizabeth Hannah requested the church parishioners, "My brother and I are asking for immediate prayers right now. We have just gotten word that Gwen and Joe Lara's plane had to go down for a controlled, quick landing." She added, "More information to come, but be in prayer – and be at peace. GOD IS IN CONTROL, and we will not stop moving forward with WHAT GOD WANTS with this church."

She added on behalf of herself and her brother Michael Shamblin, that they "love this church and need the prayers of the righteous on this one." In the message, the screenshot of which was shared on Twitter, Elizabeth also added, "We do not have a word yet of the outcome, but we are asking for prayers - as this plane held Gwen and Joe, Brandon Hannah, The Martins and the Walters -- adults only."

Michael is married to Erin and the two of them are parents to four children Gabriele, Garland, Gates and Christian. Speaking of his role in the church on their official website, Michael said, "I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to help lead worship here at the Remnant Fellowship church in Brentwood, TN." Elizabeth's bio on the website reads, "Brandon and I have been happily married since 2003... Our precious children consist of Grace, Gweneth, Gloria and Charles Grantham. My family LOVES God, and my children LOVE to get on their knees and pray every morning and night with us... All we strive for is to DO the will of God and pass that down to our children… for nothing else has blessed us more than learning the BLESSINGS that come from obedience to God!! Brandon and I help to oversee and direct the Youth Group at the church."

In a statement from the Remnant Fellowship Church quoted by The Sun, they said "The Shamblins, Hannahs, and Laras appreciate your concern, support and prayers," and added, "The families are awaiting details from the authorities. The families will share details at the appropriate time."

According to Rutherford County Fire Rescue's official Twitter account, a tweet read, "Multiple agencies on scene of a small jet that crashed into Percy Priest Lake around 11:00 a.m. FAA & NTSB en route." The tweet also added, "Dive Teams determining extent of crash site, examining the debris field, & conducting search & rescue. Boaters and private aircraft urged to stay clear of area."