Members of the Homerville, Ohio, Grace Brethren Church continue to mourn the death of Gar and Simone Cole and their 22 month-old daughter, Ryleigh, and unborn son, Kyler. The family died November 16, 2010, in a tragic traffic accident near Wellington. Below is an excerpt news report about the funeral for the family in which one of the officiants was Brad Kelly, pastor of the Homerville church. To read the complete story, click here.
Remembering the Coles: Community struggles to see ‘the big picture’
… “Sometimes life is not fair and doesn’t make sense,” said Pastor Brad Kelly of Grace Brethren Church in Homerville, where Gar and Simone were members. “This is one of those occasions where we don’t always see the big picture.”
Yet he said he felt privileged to have known Gar and Simone and believes they are together in heaven with their young children.
Still, he could not forget that the day was also supposed to be Gar’s birthday. Kelly said that as he was preparing to leave Homerville for the service, he passed through the vestibule at his church where members have mailboxes.
Inside the mailbox for the Greathouses there was a single card. He reached in to grab it, knowing he would see them later in the morning. But as soon as he touched it, he said, he immediately knew it was not a card of condolence. It was the same birthday card he wrote out for Gar two weeks earlier.
Now, he was officiating over the Cole’s family funeral.
