Sunday, December 16, 2018
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
alcorn@vindy.com
YOUNGSTOWN
The community of Youngstown and several of its clergy lifted up prayers to God for the five children killed in a fire at their Parkcliffe Avenue home last Sunday, as well as their mother and extended family members, during a vigil Saturday evening.
Because of inclement weather, the 6 p.m. gathering, originally to be in the parking lot of Christ Centered Church across the street from the house that burned, was moved inside the church at the corner of Boston and Parkcliffe avenues.
It was the wish of the family that the congregation celebrate the lives of the children who died: Aleysha Rosario, 9; Charles Gunn, 3; Ly’Asia Gunn, 2, and 1-year-old twins, Arianna and Brianna Negron.
Their mother, Amy Negron Acevedo, 26, is recovering from smoke inhalation and burns.
Family members asked for privacy during the service.
The Rev. Sylvia Luciano, pastor of Temple Pentecostal Jesus Bread of Life, spoke words of comfort in Spanish for the sake of the family, who are Hispanic.
In English, she thanked members of the congregation for their prayers for the family and said the children “are now in a beautiful place.”
Among honored guests was Courtney Angelo, Aleysha’s fourth-grade teacher at Wilson Elementary School.
“I feel special because I got to spend so much time with Aleysha,” whom Angelo said “gave me hugs at the start and the end of the school day.”
Aleysha had a lot of friends and loved to sing and dance. “I feel it’s my duty to keep her memory alive,” Angelo said.
In keeping with the family’s wish that the vigil be a celebration of the childrens’ lives, Lynnette Brown, wife of Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, sang verses of “His Eye is on the Sparrow.”
She sang:
“Why should I feel discouraged,
Why should the shadows come.
Why should my heart feel lonely,
And long for heaven and home”
When Jesus is my portion,
A constant friend is he.
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know he watches over me.
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know he watches me.”
The community will continue to help with funeral expenses with a fundraiser dinner from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Flambeau’s Live, 2308 Market St.Individuals at the vigil say they were there to support the family.
“I’m here to support this family. I can’t imagine what the mother is feeling. I hope she knows she has the support to get her through this,” said Amy Andersen of Austintown.
“Home is home. You gotta help,” said Lee Cochrane, who grew up in Youngstown. “My mother, Maxine Stevens, is a neighbor of the family. I just saw the kids playing just before the fire.”
“You gotta help,” he repeated.