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CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Cynthia Hurd's brother took some comfort in knowing that his sister died in the church she grew up in and loved.
Hurd, 54, was the manager of one of the busiest branches of the Charleston County library system. In her honor, the system closed all 16 of its branches Thursday, the day after her death.
She grew up in Charleston, and her mother made sure they went Emanuel AME Church on Sundays, Wednesdays and any other time it was open, said her brother Malcom Graham, a former state senator from North Carolina.
"I wasn't surprised on a Wednesday night she was there," Graham said Thursday.
Hurd's husband is a merchant sailor currently at sea near Saudi Arabia. Graham was trying to help him get home.
When Graham spoke to his sister last weekend, she said she couldn't wait for her 55th birthday on Sunday, he said.
She was also looking toward retirement after 31 years of library work. The library issued a statement remembering Hurd as "a tireless servant of the community who spent her life helping residents, making sure they had every opportunity for an education and personal growth."
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