Today I attended the funeral for the Dunsmuir family in Newmarket. I sat next to an elderly woman whose son in-law had been one of the first firefighters to enter the home on Good Friday morning. When he arrived, the large spiral staircase and most of the downstairs was on fire. He found them dead, of smoke inhalation, in the Master bedroom.
Kevin, the Dad, phoned 911 to say that he smelled smoke. He opened the window, which is what I would have done, but that only accelerated the process. The fire began in the dryer and spread throughout the home while they were sleeping. Within minutes they asphyxiated.
David, the only surviving son, spoke at the funeral. He was very choked up but wanted to speak about his brothers; his uncle had spoken about his father and his aunt had spoken about his mom. It was heartbreaking to hear him; no one should have to go through as much grief as that young man was going through. The congregation applauded after David's speech.
At the end of the service there were four hearses, 32 pallbearers; the 88 year old grandmother, walked behind the caskets, stooped over, and then there was David. Young people from Sacred Heart Catholic High School were in tears; the boys in Cameron's grade (like my son) wore black with a purple tie. Young men were signing a hockey jersey and a rugby jersey to be draped over coffins. Thousands of people poured out of the Church. A community was in shock.
It was so apparent how precious and fleeting life is.
"The Toronto Star", April 5, 2013 http://www.yorkregion.com/news-story/2521069-hundreds-bid-farewell-to-dunsmuir-family/
No comments:
Post a Comment