With Easter Sunday arriving tomorrow,amidst all the impending festivities, I will also be reflecting on the life of a special family(a widow with 3 special-needs,adult sons) who all passed away from smoke inhalation secondary to a house fire just this past Tuesday.
It happened in the town of St. George,New Brunswick,Canada.
Their deaths have been deemed as “non-criminal in nature”. the cause of the fire remains now under the investigation by the Office of the Fire Marshal.
The only silver lining here is that all 4 of them left this world together and will be celebrating Easter in their own way wherever they are now.
Here’s today’s news article which gives a synopsis of what had recently happened and the memorial service of all the 4 deceased family members.
Community gathers to remember family killed in house fire—-Sarah Seeley(The Telegraph Journal)
ST.GEORGE– Fire trucks lined Main Street outside St. George Baptist on Saturday as the community gathered to remember Esther Boyd and her three adult sons,Davey,Billy and Robbie.
The four family members died in a fire at their South Street home on Tuesday.
The public memorial service was held on what would have been Davey’s 56th birthday.
The front of the church was filled with members of the St. George Fire Dept. where Davey was an honorary fire chief who had helped out at the station for more than 40 years.
Firefighters from the departments in Black Harbour,Deer island and St. Stephen were also at the service.
All the pews were filled at the Baptist church with more mourners gathering at the St. Mark’s Anglican Church across the street to hear a broadcast of the service.
Some of the Musquash Fire department took over operations at the St. George Fire Hall so the firefighters could attend the funeral.
Esther,80,was the primary caregiver for her three adult sons with special needs-Billy,59,Davey,55 and Robbie,52.
She was a dedicated member of St. George Baptist Church where she taught Sunday school and sang in the choir. The songs sung at her funeral were some of Esther’s favorites.
The church’s minister,Rev. Jason Hooper,and Rev. Mary Ann Langmaid from the Anglican Church conducted the service.
Hooper said Esther was known around the community as a kind and loving mother to her boys.
“She was a person of strong faith,”he said. It was her strong faith that helped her to persevere .”
Premier Brian Gallant and MLA Rick Doucet and St. George mayor Crystal Cook attended the service.
After the service,Gallant told the Telegraph-Journal he was touched by the outpouring of sentiments from the town of 1,500 people.
“It’s very sad anytime that you have a community going through something of this nature.We wanted to be here to support them. We know all New Brunswickers are thinking of St. George.”
My thoughts and prayers for this family as well.
Josie
josiesvoice 