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Posted at: 11/28/2009 7:43 PM | WHEC.com Helping a local family heal
The funeral service for Helen Buchel and her 12-year-old daughter Brittany Passalacqua was held Saturday in Geneva. They were found stabbed to death last friday in their Main Street apartment. Buchel's boyfiend, John Brown of Palmyra, is charged with their murders. We spoke with the pastor at the funeral about helping the family heal. "It's a real shock to us. It just devastates everyone," says Reverend Jim Gering. Dozens of people filed into the presbyterian church Saturday morning. Our cameras weren't allowed inside, where they sung hymns, and a relative of 12-year-old Brittany Passalacqua shared her memories. "Brittany had a smile that was not only contagious but it would light up every room she walked into. Let's not mourn their deaths but cherish the time we had together." "We cannot let this thing that has happened distort our image of who they were," says Gerling. "Helen is still Helen, Brittany is still Brittany, no senseless act of violence can change that." At Buchel and Passalacqua's apartment Saturday, a memorial continues to grow. "Helen and her daughter Brittany were wonderful caring sensitive people," says Gerling. A line of friends and loved ones left the church, heading to Saint Mary's Cemetery for one last goodbye. Reverend Gerling says the support has really helped the family. "They have just been overwhelmed by the response of care and compassion from the rest of the community and it's really what Geneva's all about, who we are as a community. We rally behind people who are experiencing difficulties and tragedies such as this."
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An Ontario County community came together Saturday, one week after a double murder shocked the city of Geneva. 