Community in Mourning - by By David Keeler - 8/16/2007

Reverend Barry Ballard, Pastor of Wyalusing’s United Presbyterian Church described the deaths of three members of Laceyville’s Colegrove family as a “community tragedy. “How can anyone not be aware of this overwhelming tragedy,” Ballard said. “It’s in conversations everywhere. It’s been on TV. We are having a tough time as a community.”

Ballard was addressing mourners who had come to pay their final respects to Joe Colegrove, his wife Marlene, and their son Michael all murdered in their home early last Wednesday morning.

Some 400 people, about half of them firefighters, packed the social hall at the Black Walnut American Legion Tuesday morning, where what Ballard described as a service of remembrance took place.

All three of the slain Colegroves were active and respected members of Laceyville’s Good Will Fire Company. Joe Colegrove, a 40-year veteran and former chief, was named Laceyville’s Fireman of the Year twice. His son Michael also earned the honor, which is bestowed by fellow firefighters.

   

Members of the general public sat on one side of the hall, with the other side reserved for firefighters and their families. Laceyville Fire Chief Scott Fisher led firefighters from about a dozen companies into the hall. Most of the firefighters wore dress uniforms.

The three closed caskets were at the front of the hall. On top of each casket was a folded American flag, a photo of the deceased, a fireman’s helmet and a fireman’s coat.

“We can be sure the Colegroves have been taken into a new life,” Ballard said. “They have all eternity ahead of them.”

Ballard asked people to remember the contributions the Colegroves made “to our lives and to our community.”

He shared a personal memory of Michael saying he and Michael got to know each other as volunteers at the Wyalusing Elementary School. “Lots of kids considered him a friend,” Ballard said. “He took kids fishing.”

Ballard said that Michael and Marlene Colegrove attended Wyalusing’s Presbyterian Church, and the Sunday following their murders someone placed a small bouquet of flowers on the pew where they normally sat.

Attempting to help answer the question of why the Colegroves met such a tragic and untimely death, Ballard said that “God doesn’t opt to prevent tragedy. Bad things happen to good people all the time. Nobody’s exempt.” He quoted scripture and gave examples of Biblical figures including Jesus Christ who suffered unjustly despite being dutiful servants of God.

Ballard asked for remembrances of the Colegroves from those attending the service, but cautioned people about making statements steeped in anger. “I know there are people here today who are angry, but I’m asking you to keep anger out of this.”

Speakers included: Ken Valentine, who recalled that he brought Joe Colegrove into the Laceyville Fire Company some 40 years ago. “We had some great times and went through the flood of 1972 together,” Valentine said. “The tireless way he served our community has to be remembered,” Valentine added. “It won’t be the same to go into town and not see Joe.”

Patti Tewksbury recalled Joe Colegrove the prankster. “It seemed everyone was the victim of one of his pranks,” she said. “Even if you were in the biggest hurry to get somewhere, if you saw Joe motioning you to come inside his barbershop, you forgot about what you were doing and went in to see what he was up to.”

Dianne Bennett, an aid at the Laceyville Elementary School, recalled the outstanding job Marlene Colegrove did as a bus driver. “Those kids were her extended family,” Bennett said. “She would call sometimes and ask to talk to the head teacher about a problem one of the kids on her bus was having. She really, really loved kids and she loved her job.”

Reverend Ballard closed the service with a prayer, “We are all immortal; born from the earth and to the earth we shall return,” he said during the prayer.

Firefighters and others passed single file in front of the caskets to pay their respects. Some paused briefly and saluted. Outside bagpipes played as each of the caskets was carried aboard a Laceyville fire truck, Joe and Marlene aboard one truck, Michael by himself aboard another.

The funeral possession passed along Laceyville’s Main Street where businesses were closed in recognition of the community’s loss. A large American flag hung from an archway across the street formed by ladder trucks from the Dushore and Athens fire companies.

The fire trucks carrying the deceased paused briefly in front of Joe Colegrove’s Main Street barbershop and again at the Laceyville Elementary School where Marlene served as a bus driver. Outside Colegrove’s barbershop mourners created a small memorial with bouquets and photos. A sign in the window where Joe normally posted signs that read “Gone to Lunch” or “Gone to a Fire” stated: “Gone to Heaven.”

Dozens of fire trucks took part in the procession, which was led by a state police cruiser. People lined Main Street to offer a final farewell to the Colegroves.

At the Lacey Street Cemetery firefighters formed a huge circle around the gravesite. The pallbearers were all members of the Laceyville Fire Company including: Scott Fisher, Niles English, Bob Voda, Brian Yurgatis, Brad Fassett and Eric Shafer.

Again a bagpipe played, this time “Amazing Grace.”

The pallbearers removed the folded flags from the three caskets and presented them to family members.

Dozens of firefighters proceeded in single file and each placed a yellow rose on the caskets. A bell tolled in the distance and Funeral Director Eric Kutkutcha read the Firemen’s Prayer.

Near the end of the internment service fire radios chimed and the Wyoming County dispatcher issued a final call to three deceased. “Do not respond to the hall, the dispatcher said. “Respond to your home and be with the Lord.”