Abandoned baby laid to rest, accompanied by police escort
Community turnout swamps service, with 200 filling Miller Funeral Home
About 200 people turned out to honor a life they never knew Wednesday in a funeral service for a deceased baby boy that was found in a Sioux Falls recycling center Aug. 6.
Known now as Gabriel James Doe, the service at Miller Funeral Home – Southside Chapel included a police honor guard. Following the ceremony, police officers on motorcycles and vehicles accompanied the funeral procession to Hills of Rest Cemetery, where the infant’s remains were laid to rest.
The police presence was fitting, given the circumstances. The infant’s body was discovered by workers at Millennium Recycling, and the boy’s discovery remains under police investigation. Authorities have said little about the investigation.
“To Gabriel, this world was a pretty mean place,” said Pastor Travis Remme. “But to all of you here today, you are shining your lights for Gabriel.”
Remme was one of three officiating the service, joined by Rev. John Helmueller and Pastor Katherine Olson. Helmueller said the three represented a shared Christian identity.
“That’s a beautiful thing to see when we can all work together,” he said.
Helmueller asked that people pray for Gabriel James, saying, “I can’t think of anything more innocent than a little baby.”
But he also asked that people pray for the baby’s parents, noting that they didn’t know whether the baby was “ripped away from its mother,” or if the mother had been in trouble with something else.
“Who knows? Nobody knows,” he said.
Remme said he was impressed with the number of people who turned out for the service. The main service room was full, and more people filled a side room. Others watched a livestream on the Internet.
Remme said that if people were struggling to comprehend what had happened that it was OK to be upset.
“This is a very difficult thing to comprehend,” he conceded.
Before closing the ceremony with the song “Jesus Loves Me,” Remme said that the incident should serve as a springboard for people to be considerate to others.
“Let’s show the love and kindness Gabriel never knew,” he said.
So touching... so sad., precious little boy who never knew life. What is equally sad is that in many places that little life just a few weeks earlier could be ripped apart in the mother's womb and there are people who would celebrate that the mother could make the choice that was right for her and her body.