Funeral Held For Last 5 of 9 Relatives Killed In Duck Boat Accident
Follow CBSPHILLY Facebook | Twitter
INDIANAPOLIS (CBS/AP) — An Indiana family that lost nine relatives in the sinking of a duck boat on a Missouri lake was held up as an inspiration Saturday as hundreds of people gathered in their memory.
Nine Family Members Among 17 Dead In Duck Boat Accident
Gov. Eric Holcomb and Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett were among those at Eastern Star Church for the funeral of Horace Coleman, 70; his wife, Belinda Coleman, 69; Ervin Coleman, 76; Angela Coleman, 45; and her 2-year-old son, Maxwell. It came a day after the services for Glenn Coleman, 40, and his three children: 9-year-old Reece, 7-year-old Evan, and 1-year-old Arya.
The governor attended both ceremonies and assured their survivors that they are not alone.
"The Coleman family continues to just get bigger, as in 6.6 million Hoosiers bigger, as in millions of more Americans bigger. The Coleman family story of faith and love in action has gone global," Holcomb said.
Tia Coleman -- Glenn Coleman's wife and mother of their children -- and her 13-year-old nephew were the only two survivors among 11 Coleman family members who boarded the boat before it sank in a sudden storm on July 19 on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, killing 17 people.
At Saturday's funeral, five caskets were lined up at the front of the church, flowers atop four of them and a U.S. flag on the other.
Pastor A. Thomas Hill said the family will be sustained by its faith.
Nine Family Members Among 17 Dead In Duck Boat Accident
"How can they deal with such a horrific, traumatic crisis? This family, they got a Jesus connection. It's not the end; rather it's the beginning of a new life. That's the hope of this family. Let God be their comfort today," Hill told the congregation.
Immediately following the tragedy, crowds gathered at the site to remember those killed in the duck boat accident.
Other victims included Steve Smith, 53, and his 15-year-old son, Lance Smith; Robert 'Bob' Williams, 73, was the driver on the duck boat; William, 65, and Janice Bright, 63; Leslie Dennison, 64; William Asher, 69; and Rosemarie Hamann, 68.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
