Missionaries and volunteer killed in ‘tragic’ crash while in Kenya, organization says

Two missionaries and a medical volunteer serving people in Kenya were killed in a “tragic” crash, according to a Michigan-based nonprofit organization.

Kenya Hope, a ministry that supports Kenyan widows and children, said its executive directors died in the Oct. 25 crash alongside the daughter of the organization’s U.S. director.

The three were identified as Dave and Joy Mueller, who had worked with Kenya Hope for 13 years, and Julie Holman, who had recently passed the nurse practitioner board certification.

“Dave and Joy will be remembered as missionaries who worked both faithfully and tirelessly to help others who were in need and spread the gospel of Christ,” Eric Hoogstra, chairman of the Kenya Hope Board, said in a Facebook post. “While they will be greatly missed by our organization, I know they have a place in heaven for a life well-served.”

Holman was helping evaluate medical facilities and providing vaccinations with Kenya Hope, according to the post.

Holman and the Muellers were working with Child Refuge Centre International when their pickup truck collided with a tractor-trailer along the Narok-Maasai Mara Game Reserve Highway, according to Kenya’s Citizen Digital. A police report obtained by the outlet said the three philanthropists — ages 61, 61 and 33 — were driving to Naroosura at the time of the fatal crash.

McClatchy News reached out to the Narok County Government for more information on Oct. 26 and was awaiting a response.

Kenya Hope said funeral arrangements will be made at a later date.

“Please join us in praying for both the Mueller and Holman families during this time of grief,” the organization said.

This story was originally published October 26, 2023 at 2:28 PM with the headline "Missionaries and volunteer killed in ‘tragic’ crash while in Kenya, organization says."