Slain Minister Remembered At Funeral

The young daughters of a slain minister followed his flower-covered casket into a church Tuesday as hundreds of mourners gathered for his funeral.

Matthew Winkler, 31, had led the Fourth Street Church of Christ in this small western Tennessee town for almost a year until last week, when authorities say his wife shot him and fled the state with their children.

Church members discovered the minister's body in the parsonage last Wednesday after he didn't show up for an evening service. His wife and children were found in Alabama the following day, and the children are now living with Winkler's parents.

Mary Winkler, 32, is jailed on charges of first-degree murder. Authorities say she confessed to shooting her husband but they haven't revealed a motive.

The news media were not allowed inside the church, but those who attended the service said the minister was eulogized as a devoted husband and father.

Barbara Letson of Decatur, Ala., said Eddie Thompson, one of two people leading the service, didn't mention Mary Winkler by name or describe what happened.

"He just said, we're puzzled. That's the word he used: puzzled," Letson said.

Thompson spoke with reporters after the service about the couple's three daughters, saying the girls — Breanna, 1; Mary Alice, 6; and Patricia, 8 — are adjusting.

"They're having peaks and valleys, but by and large they're incredibly happy," Thompson said. "We love these girls dearly."

Police Chief Neal Burks had described the scene as the Winklers' daughters followed the casket inside and about 500 people filled the sanctuary or watched on TV monitors in the basement.

Church members have said they saw nothing but a loving relationship between Matthew Winkler, a third-generation minister described as outgoing and full of charisma, and Mary Winkler, described as reserved but kind.