Human toll of deadly tornado cuts deep in Joplin

They were regular churchgoers, devoted parents, seniors in their retirement years and children with untold promise. Some gave their lives to save strangers, thrust by circumstance and human instinct into the role of hero. Others faced a parent’s worst fear, losing their lives while also failing to protect their children from death. Few outside the town of about 50,000 will recognize the names of the dead. But Joplin’s close-knit community lost a staggering array of human capital in the May 22 tornado, including seniors who were the town’s history and young people who were its future. Some lived their lives ordinarily, only to be defined in their final moments by breathtaking courage.