Funeral today for Ontario boy whose town gave him an early Christmas parade

ST. GEORGE, Ont. – A funeral is scheduled for today for Evan Leversage, a terminally-ill southern Ontario boy whose wish to see another Christmas prompted his community to stage an early Santa Claus parade.

Seven-year-old Evan died at a Brantford, Ont., hospice on Sunday in the arms of his mother – Nicole Wellwood.

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Evan was from St. George, a small community north of Brantford and suffered from an inoperable brain tumour.

Doctors told his family this year that they weren’t sure if he would live to see this Christmas, so St. George put on an early Christmas parade in October, complete with artificial snow strewn around Evan’s home.

The boy got to hop onto Santa’s sleigh and ride with him through the streets of St. George with thousands of townspeople looking on.

Evan was admitted to the hospice on Nov. 4 and his family maintained a vigil at his bedside until his death.