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Parents Marry at Son’s Funeral
And the winner for worst wedding anniversary goes to . . . the parents of a seven-year-old who died in a car crash last week. They decided to celebrate his life by getting marrried – at his funeral.
Being a glass half empty kind of girl, my first thought was the parents must be sick and twisted. But their reasoning is pretty sweet – Asa always wanted Mommy and Daddy to be married.
So Amilcar Hill and Rahwa Ghirmatzion surprised all the mourners at the Buffalo service on Friday morning by announcing near the end of the two-hours service that they weren’t just there to mourn Asa. They were getting hitched.
Ghirmatzion told the Buffalo News: “Asa always wanted us to get married. He’d say, “When are you guys going to get married? How come you’re not getting married?’ And we’d say, “We were waiting for you to be part of it.’ That’s why it’s so fitting.”
If you read that and didn’t get a bit ferklempt, get thee to a hospital, stat. It’s hard to find fault with these parents – as creepy as the concept might be from the outside. It sounds like they realized with his death that they’d wasted enough time. Standing inside their grief, to them, this is the best option.
The cause of their son’s death – a fiery six-car crash – is still under investigation. His organs have been harvested and donated because his parents wanted to provide life for other children.
Would you make this decision?
Image: Buffalo News
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0 Comments
jenny tries too hard commented on Sep 08 09 at 2:53 pmMaybe it was also a matter of economics. Chances are, any relatives who lived far away were already in town for Asa’s funeral, and well, the minister was right there, too.
Bluster commented on Sep 08 09 at 4:28 pmIn some societies, a funeral is a celebration of life, not the death. I would have to know this couple to equate their actions as anything other than why they said it was done.
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Sep 08 09 at 8:40 pmWow. That’s really sad. I feel like their grief over the loss of their son may have pushed them over the edge, or then again, Jenny might be right… logistics-wise, everything was in place. Kudos to the parents on the organ donation and for honoring a long held wish of their son.
Phred_Fan commented on Sep 08 09 at 10:43 pmCongrats! What a lovely way to always remember your child. Life is full of ups and downs anyway. This looks like such a loving family! The few clips of the funeral I viewed were a tribute to a short life lived well. Organ donations will help others. All the best to you.
Manjari commented on Sep 08 09 at 10:44 pmWhat a beautiful boy!
It is really sad that he’s dead, but I think the wedding is a nice idea. It’s what he always wanted, and this was one way he could sort of be there for it.
KMNW commented on Sep 09 09 at 1:54 amI am actually a member of this family, and I pray for all of you who are too short sighted and judgmental to understand the miraculous act of courage, strength, and love it took for Amilcar and Rahwa to wed at their son’s memorial service (it was NOT a funeral – there was no casket present, and his body had already been laid to rest). Asa was a BEAUTIFUL child, full of life, energy, and love, and the very last thing he would have ever wanted was a church full of people sadly mourning his death. So instead we chose to celebrate his life. It was a moving and amazing ceremony, everyone should be so lucky to have their life honored that way. I am so blessed to have known Asa, and pray for everyone else who cannot open their hearts to understand the sincerity of love that his memorial represented. WE LOVE YOU ASA!!
Knitty commented on Sep 10 09 at 8:54 amNMNW, I’m sorry for your family’s loss. Congratulations to Amilcar and Rahwa, and I wish them the best.
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