Mourners Remember Powell Boys at Funeral
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A balloon with with a note to Braden and Charlie Powell sits out side of the burnt out home of Josh Powell Feb. 7, 2012 near Graham, Washington. (Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)(TACOMA, Wash.) — Surrounded by hundreds of mourners wearing purple and blue ribbons, the Powell and Cox families put their differences aside Saturday to remember the two young victims — Charlie and Braden Powell — who died in the home explosion that Josh Powell deliberately set last Sunday.
Chuck and Judy Cox, the parents of the boys’ missing mother, thanked the crowd for their support “throughout this trial we’ve been enduring.” Josh Powell’s parents did not speak.
The remains of Charlie, 7, and Braden, 5, were in one coffin adorned with flowers at the Life Center in Tacoma, Wash.
The focus of the funeral rested squarely on remembering the lives of the “clever” and “amazing” boys who died in a home explosion that police say was deliberately set by Josh Powell when a social worker took them for a bi-weekly supervised visit.
Charlie’s kindergarten teacher remembered him as a boy who “loved to make salsa and bake bread.” Charlie was fascinated with insects, too, and was known to sneak a caterpillar or worm into class on occasion.
“He was an amazing young man. He had an appreciation for nature I had never seen in someone so young,” his former teacher said.
Braden’s pre-kindergarten teacher spoke about the boy she said had a “sharp mind” and a big imagination. He loved the color orange and was fascinated by cars, trucks, and trains.
The coffin will be interred in a private ceremony on Monday.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio