Under a sea of pink balloons, dozens gathered outside the Tree of Life Funeral Home in Fort Worth on Friday night to honor the memories of 4-year-old Ivy Pierce and 15-month-old Wynter Thouston.
Chardae Mills, the girls’ mother, was overwhelmed with emotion as she tried to speak to the crowd. She struggled to convey the magnitude of her loss, saying, “My house is so quiet now.”
On the Fourth of July, the family had gone to the Crystal Clean Car Wash on Cleburne Road to watch fireworks when a fight escalated into gunfire, tragically killing both girls and another man. In total, six people were shot during the incident.
Police have charged 26-year-old Kanard Trent Murphy with capital murder.
Pastor Rodney McIntosh emphasized the impact of the violence on the community, stating, “We have to understand that these moments are not normal. Like this mother should not be living through this. This father should not be living through this. Parents are not supposed to bury their children. Man, we have to get back to a place where this cannot continue to happen in our community.”
The family, who affectionately called the girls Wynter Harlem and Ivy Joy, remembered them for the smiles they brought to everyone around them. As balloons were released to Heaven on Friday, the community chose to remember the two sisters taken too soon.
The funeral and burial are scheduled for Saturday at Mount Calvary Family Life Center in Tyler.
