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Many would say the work ofGod brought Bishop-elect Da-vid L. Toups to Southeast Tex-as.

But it was the word of Godthat confirmed the move for theGulf Coast native set to be or-dained Friday as the sixth bish-op to lead the Diocese of Beau-mont.

“Romans 8:28,” Toups saidduring a recent phone inter-

view with The Enterprise. “‘Forthose who love God, all thingswork together for the good.’”

It was during a conversationwith current Bishop CurtisGuillory that Toups disclosedthe scripture as his mother’sfavorite and the first he wastaught as a child.

“And Bishop Guillory said,‘wait a minute, that’s my mottoas a bishop,” Toups said. “Itwas a beautiful moment con-

firming the pope’s appoint-ment. The beautiful scripturethat has led my family all theseyears has also led Beaumont allthese years. We call it a ‘Go-dincidence.’”

It was announced in earlyJune that Guillory would retireand Toups, 49, would take hisplace.

But despite his birth in Seat-

RELIGION

Bishop-elect to bring energyn Toups’ ordinationto be 1st in St.AnthonyCathedral Basilica’s53-year history.By Monique Batson

TOUPS, page A9

“The beautiful scripture that has led my family allthese years has also led Beaumont all these years.We call it a ‘Godincidence.’”David L. Toups, bishop-elect

Kim Brent / The Enterprise

“I pray daily for an end to the coronavirus, for peacefulresolutions to the protests that our country is experiencing andfor the healing of racial divisions,” Bishop-elect David Toupstold the Enterprise.

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Since the start of the CO-VID-19 pandemic in Texas, thestate’s death toll from all causeshas soared by thousands abovehistorical averages — a so-bering spike that experts sayreveals the true toll of the dis-ease.

Between the beginning of thelocal pandemic and the end ofJuly, 95,000 deaths were report-ed in Texas, according to U.S.Centers for Disease Controldata.

Based on historical mortalityrecords and predictive mod-eling, government epidemiolo-gists would have expected tosee about 82,500 deaths duringthat time.

CORONAVIRUS: TEXAS

DeathtollexceedsreportsnExpert: ‘Excess deaths’are likely from a rangeof problems, includingmisclassifications.By Zach Despart and Stephanie Lamm

RELATED Texas testingdrops as schools reopen,prepare for football, A3

TEXAS, page A13

SCHOOLSMascots sticking point,A7ART Video game developer giveshealth care workers portraits, B1PARADE Bill & Ted’s Excellent NewAdventure, inside

SAVINGS More than $140 in coupons, inside

Beaumont Police Depart-ment Officer Sheena DaeYarbrough-Powell, 23, was abright, young officer whotried to do her job the best shecould up until the night shelost her life while on duty oneweek ago.

Tyler Powell, her husband,said those are facts about hiswife that likely drew the thou-sands who gathered aroundCalvary Baptist Church inBeaumont or watched herservice online Saturday, but,he said, there was more to herstory.

Powell along with Yar-

brough-Powell’s five sistersused the service to talk aboutaspects of Sheena’s person-ality that were less wellknown: that she was a “beau-tiful, spunky and sassy”woman who impacted theirlives forever.

“She was a police officer,which is probably why every-one tuned in and lined thestreets, but she was a heck ofa lot more than a badge,”Powell said.

The pulpit of the churchwas wreathed in blue lights asofficers from BPD filled therows of the choir gallery

MEMORIAL SERVICE

Fallen officer is honored

Photos by Fran Ruchalski / The Enterprise

The U.S. flag that draped Beaumont Police Officer Sheena Yarbrough-Powell’s casket is removed to be folded so it can bepresented to the family outside Calvary Baptist Church in Beaumont on Saturday morning. Yarbrough-Powell was laid to restwith a police escort from Broussard’s Mortuary to the church.

People lined Dowlen Road and the rest of the route of thepolice escort to show their support of Beaumont PoliceOfficer Sheena Yarbrough-Powell.

Husband, sisters rememberYarbrough-Powell as ‘beautiful,spunky and sassy’ womanBy Jacob Dick

MEMORIAL, page A11