Chris McNair, a former legislator, Jefferson County Commission member and father of one of the four girls killed in the 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, died Wednesday afternoon. He was 93.

The family in a statement called McNair a “devoted husband, father, brother and friend.”

“We are grateful for the life and legacy of our father, J. Christopher McNair. He was a man who loved his family and this community. We ask for prayers and privacy as we prepare to lay him to rest,” the family said in its statement, released by McNair’s daughter Lisa.

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin shared some of those thoughts in a press release he issued with condolences for McNair’s family.

“Mr. McNair and his family are forever tied to our country’s civil-rights legacy,” Woodfin wrote. “When he tragically lost his daughter Denise in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963, his courage and fortitude fueled our march for peace. He was the consummate family man, showcasing an unconditional love for humanity that paved the way for social justice in Birmingham and in our nation.” Read more.