Manitoba town holds funeral for 4 Froese boys killed in house fire

WINKLER, Man. — It was a celebration of life and a sad goodbye at a small Mennonite church in Winkler. Over a thousand mourners paid their respects to four boys killed last week in a southern Manitoba house fire.

READ MORE: 4 boys killed in house fire west of Morris, Manitoba

Those who attended were greeted by photos of the boys’ smiling faces. The memorial service’s program also listed the individual brothers’ interests and some memories.

“A whole tone of sadness and mourning. But done with a sombre Mennonite classic style. It was wonderful in that sense,” said Ralph Groening, Reeve of Morris.

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Henry, 9, Danny, 10, Timmy, 12, and Bobby, 15, were killed when their rural home burned to the ground on Feb. 25.

Their mother escaped with their three younger siblings, but the boys were asleep in the second storey of the house when the fire broke out and did not get out.

Father Jake Froese and the couple’s eldest son, who is 18, saw the fire as they returned home from work. They called the rural municipality of Morris’s volunteer fire department and tried unsuccessfully to rescue the boys. Jake Froese was badly injured when he climbed a ladder to the second storey in an attempt to save his boys.

READ MORE: Community rallies around Froese family following Kane fire

The memorial service started at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the small Winkler Bergthaler Mennonite Church and was followed by a private burial.

People have reached out by raising tens of thousands of dollars to help the surviving family members, as well as to provide furniture and clothing.

READ MORE: How you can help Froese family who lost 4 boys in Kane, Manitoba fire

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

— With files from Global News