ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, N.C. — The town of Stoneville held a ceremony to remember the lives lost 25 years ago when a deadly EF3 tornado ripped through the small community.

What You Need To Know

  • The town of Stoneville remembered the two lives lost 25 years ago when an EF3 tornado ripped through the small Rockingham County community

  • The tornado injured dozens and destroyed hundreds of buildings

  • The March 20, 1998, tornado caused millions in damage

Residents met at the Stoneville clock tower Monday afternoon for a moment of silence in respect for the two victims. 

The crowd listened to speeches from Mayor Kathy Stanley Galvan and former Mayor Rex Tuggle.

Tuggle was mayor in 1998 when the tornado hit, injuring dozens and destroying hundreds of Rockingham residences and businesses.

Over the next few years, help from surrounding communities poured in to put the town back together.

“As you see, Stoneville has been rebuilt. Even though that day we heard that 'Stoneville is lost. It is gone. We will never rebuild.' What we did lose was two lives, and that is what this is about. Today is not about the town, the buildings and material things. It's about the two people we lost," Tuggle said.

Tuggle recalled that day on March 20, 1998.

He said he was in Charleston, South Carolina, the first few hours of the storm but rushed home only to find his town and antique shop devastated by debris and heavy winds.

Galvan said she was working down the road in Eden that day when she heard the news and began to fear for her family and friends nearby. 

“I remember the feeling of just not knowing. I remember pulling up to the city limits of my small town, and I was unable to go any further. My heart was full of emotion,” she said.

The ceremony included a song and a final moment of silence. 

The pastor of Sharon Missionary Baptist Church closed out the event with a prayer.