A day to mourn and march

Several funerals were held Saturday for victims of last weekend’s mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, that took 31 lives, while marchers in El Paso denounced racism and the debate over tougher gun laws continued.

A loving family man

A man who died in the arms of his son in a mass shooting in Ohio was remembered Saturday in Dayton as a loving family man who painted houses and loved to fish and cook. The funeral for Derrick Fudge, 57, drew hundreds of mourners, including Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, to St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Dayton. Fudge’s son, Dion Green, said his father spoke often of his willingness to die for him. Green previously said he believes his father protected him from being killed. Green told mourners his father was a great person who was always there to help when needed. In a eulogy for her brother, Twyla Southall said Fudge lived a “simple” life, but one he loved. “I don’t understand why my brother died in his son’s arms, but I am so grateful he was there for his father,” Southall said.

‘A humble person’

Burial services for 38-year-old Saeed Saleh were also held Saturday morning in Dayton. Saleh, who was originally from Eritrea and recently immigrated to the U.S., was remembered as a “humble and quiet person” by a spokesman for the family. Saleh moved to the United States from Malta in 2017 with his wife, Zaid, and his daughter, Randa. Saleh was known as a hard worker and a devoted husband, according to his obituary. “In addition, he was supporting his two children in Eritrea, and his older brother Edris, currently in Cairo, Egypt, in a United Nations refugee center,” the obituary read.

BILL LACKEY / DAYTON DAILY NEWS Dion Green is helped up after he collapsed during the funeral service for his father, Derrick Fudge, who died in his arms during the mass shooting in Dayton last weekend.