H&RStaffReport

GAYS - People in Gays were quiet Monday as they mourned the loss of one of the town's residents.

Cole Spencer, 21, son of Candy and Mark Spencer of Gays, was killed Saturday while serving with the U.S. Army in Iraq, said officials from Heritage Baptist Academy in Gays where Spencer attended high school.

Spencer was deployed in March and had plans to get married when he returned home, they said.

Details surrounding his death are still unknown. When contacted Monday, family members declined to comment at this time. Several others in the community contacted also declined to comment, they said, out of respect for the family.

A Heritage Baptist Academy official said Spencer also has a 16-year-old brother who attends the school.