'Meet the Putmans' Stars Honored at Funeral After Fatal Car Accident

Three members of the Meet the Putmans family — Bill, Barb and Megan Putman — were memorialized nearly three weeks after their tragic deaths.

Their funeral service — available to stream via the “Growing Up Putman” Facebook page — was held at Caro First Baptist Church in Caro, Michigan, on Wednesday, October 15, followed by burial at a local cemetery.

The Putman family previously revealed plans to stream the memorial in a statement shared via Facebook on Tuesday, October 14, “for those who wish to join us in celebrating the lives our loved ones,” adding, “Thank you, truly, for surrounding our family with so much love and prayer.”

Bill, Barb and Megan were killed in a car accident on September 26. Spouses Bill and Barb were both 65 years old, while their daughter-in-law Megan was 37.

“I come to you with a heavy heart, asking for your prayers. Our family was in a tragic car accident and we lost Papa, Neenee and Aunt Megan,” a September 27 statement shared via the family’s Instagram account read. “They have gone home to be with the Lord.”

Other members of the family were injured in the crash as well.

“Please keep Uncle Blake, Lulu, Alena, Noah and Gia in your prayers as they remain in the hospital,” the statement added. “We are asking for complete healing and strength for each of them.”

The statement noted that the entire Putman family “proclaimed that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior,” emphasizing, “He is our hope, our peace and our salvation. Even in this time of heartbreak, we rest in knowing that God is in control.”

“We know Papa, Neenee and Aunt Megan are not gone forever,” the statement continued. “They are alive and whole in Heaven, standing before Jesus, hearing the words we all long to hear: ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.’”

The family requested that their followers keep them in their thoughts as they dealt with the aftermath of the fatal accident.

“We ask for your continued prayers … for our whole family as we walk through this deep loss,” the statement said. “Even in this valley, we will praise Him. We trust that His plan is perfect, and that one day, we will be reunited in Heaven. Thank you for every prayer, message and act of love. Your support means more than words can express.”

They concluded, “Please continue to lift us up, that our hearts remain fixed on the truth that Jesus conquered death so we could have eternal life.”

Days later, the Tuscola County Sheriff’s Office in Michigan confirmed that Pavel B Shchukin — the truck driver involved in the accident — was charged with three counts of moving violation causing death and five counts of moving violation causing serious impairment of a body function. He was held on a $100,000 cash bail or surety bond at the Tuscola County Jail.

According to police, Shchukin’s commercial semi-truck struck the Putmans’ Jeep — which was carrying eight members of the family — after he failed to halt at a stop sign. Bill, Barb and Megan were pronounced dead at the scene, while the other family members were transported to hospitals, with “some in critical condition.” Shchukin and his passenger were taken to a hospital for “minor injuries,” and Shchukin was subsequently arrested.

The family shared in an October 8 social media update that Gia and Noah were still hospitalized, but their conditions were improving. Meanwhile, Blake, Lulu and Alena were discharged.

Meet the Putmans aired on TLC in 2017 and was later revived as Growing Up Putman on YouTube in 2021. The docuseries followed Bill and Barb’s multi-generational family, which included sons Billy, Brandon and Blake, daughter Blair and their respective spouses and kids.