Michael Harding was a “curly-haired, cuddly angel,” an 18-year-old on the cusp of adult life who “had the glorious gift of living in the now.”

Joseph Shick was a sweet, humble 6-year-old “who was loved every second of his life.”

The two were remembered Saturday along with 1,092 others whose lives were cut short on South Carolina’s highways.

The annual memorial service held by the S.C. Department of Public Safety drew more than 400 people to Columbia’s Shandon Baptist Church. There were 1,094 reported highway fatalities in 2005, the worst year since 1972.

Those gathered hugged and cried and prayed together, leaning at times on each other for support. Framed photographs of the deceased at the front of the sanctuary were a poignant reminder of the families’ loss.

It is an exclusive club that nobody would ever wish to join, said Dan Harding of Irmo.

Still, Debbie Harding came forward to speak of their son, a graduate of Irmo High School who was enrolled at Midlands Tech and hoped to attend USC’s engineering school.

Michael Harding was killed Dec. 6, 2005, on I-26 when a truck hit his stalled vehicle as he was trying to make repairs.

“He once remarked to a friend that he just wanted to make a difference in the world and he surely did,” Debbie Harding said.

Joseph Shick had just returned from an outing at Chuck E. Cheese’s with his mother, grandmother and three brothers and sister, when their vehicle was rear-ended by a woman fiddling with the car radio, his father, Thom Shick said.

“We had had a wonderful day,” his mother, Dawn Shick, recalled. The July 15, 2005, accident occurred on S.C. 49 in Union as she was preparing to turn into their neighborhood.

But Thom Shick said he has chosen to turn away from thoughts of vengeance, instead reminding himself of God’s grace in giving the family Joseph for “six years and 135 days.”

In a letter to his son that he read at Saturday’s service, Shick recalled the ordinary things a parent and child share — nightly kisses before being tucked into bed, the excitement of Christmas and birthday mornings, learning to count.

“I will miss your whispers in my ear,” Thom Shick said.

To be united with others who have suffered through the unexpected call or knock on the door can lead to hope, said the Rev. Dick Lincoln, Shandon’s pastor, who delivered the message.

He acknowledged he cannot answer the question of why such accidents happen. But, “God will give you the ability to get out of the bubble (of grief) and get on with life.

“I can tell you the people you lost were gifts to you.”

The Hardings and others say they have been strengthened by the help of DPS officers and the agency’s outreach group, S.C. Families of Highway Fatalities.

“They are angels doing God’s work,” Dan Harding said.

The organization provides grief support through trained peer volunteers, connects grieving families with each other, and distributes safety information in communities in an effort to prevent highway deaths.

Last week, the Families of Highway Fatalities held a three-day seminar that volunteer Darlene Schweitzer said was the first of its kind aimed at grieving family members.

Schweitzer, wife of SCDPS director James K. Schweitzer, said she understands the need for support, having lost her brother eight years ago in an accident.

The Hardings attended the seminar and called it a transformative experience, following months of drowning grief.

“It was a gift of hope and encouragement,” Dan Harding said.

Reach Click at (803) 771-8386.