Families bury loved ones in Ohio, Texas
DAYTON — Mourners gathered across the country Saturday to remember the lives of a graduate student beloved by friends, a man who died in his son’s arms and a mother who shielded her infant from gunfire.
The funerals were among several being held for people who died in mass shootings last weekend in Dayton and El Paso, Texas. Investigators in Texas said a gunman opened fire at a Walmart on Aug. 3, targeting Mexicans and killing 22 people. Only 13 hours later, another shooter killed nine people in a popular Dayton entertainment district.
Every seat was filled and the hallways were lined with mourners in Washington, Pennsylvania, at the service for 25-year-old Nicholas Cumer. The graduate student in the master of cancer care program at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania, was killed in Dayton.
Elementary school teachers, high school friends, fraternity brothers and relatives were joined by scores of others as folding chairs were set up in the parking lot to handle the overflow.
“He was just infectious. He had a heart bigger than his chest,” said the Rev. Brian Greenleaf of Washington Alliance Church after officiating the service.
Greenleaf started the service by saying Cumer would probably be “smiling and laughing throughout this whole service.”
“Because the images I have of Nick are just that,” the pastor said. “Heaven is a little bit better today because of Nicholas Cumer.”
Hundreds of people, including Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, attended Derrick Fudge’s funeral at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Springfield, the Dayton Daily News reported. Fudge died in the arms of his son, Dion Green. He was remembered as a loving family man who painted houses and loved to fish and cook.
Green said his father spoke often of his willingness to die for him. Green previously told the Springfield News-sun that he believes his father protected him from being killed. Green said Saturday that his father, who was 57, 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.
Burial services for Saeed Saleh, 38, also were held Saturday morning in Dayton. Saleh, who immigrated to the United States from Eritrea, was remembered as a “humble and quiet person” by a spokesman for the family.
Meanwhile in Texas, there also were funerals for some of the El Paso shooting victims. A requiem Mass was offered for 15-year-old Javier Amir Rodriguez, a high school sophomore and avid soccer player who was at the El Paso Walmart with his uncle when he was killed.
Burial also was scheduled for Jordan Anchondo, who died shielding her infant son from gunfire. The baby boy was treated for broken bones, but was orphaned after Jordan and her husband, Andre, were killed as both covered the 2-month-old from the gunfire. They were shopping for school supplies for their 6-year-old daughter.
Another victim of the El Paso shootings, Ivan Manzano, was buried across the border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
The victims and their families have received support worldwide. On Saturday, singer and actress Lady Gaga posted a note on social media to Dayton, El Paso and Gilroy, California, where a shooting occurred at a garlic festival before the El Paso shooting. She expressed her sorrow and offered words of encouragement.
The multiple Grammy winner took to her Facebook page to “channel my confusion, frustration, and fury into hope. Hope that we are there for each other and for ourselves.”
She also asked people to be brave and tell someone if you are struggling with what happened.
“Don’t be scared to ask for help, I beg you,” the Academy Award and Golden Globe winner wrote in her post.
She closed this way: “We cannot turn away from ourselves. We cannot turn away from our loved ones. We need each other. Don’t turn away. In loving memory of the victims of the tragic shootings in Dayton, OH, El Paso, TX, and Gilroy, CA.”