The church was filled to capacity at 570 people for the funeral, which began at noon.
Among the mourners was Jahari Ward, 8, who also suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning. The brother of Jakia Jones was released from Dayton Children’s Hospital on Monday.
Eric Herman, superintendent of Troy City Schools, was at the viewing. He said the junior high schools have been called off today so that students and faculty could attend the services.
Herman said it was hard to describe how he was feeling.
“This is unbelievable. Tragic,” he said.
The district has had crisis counselors at the schools.
“We’ve had counselors in all of our buildings. They have kind of banded together to help out,” Herman said.
He added that the school district’s thoughts are with the family.
“We wish the best to the family. It’s a tough situation to get through and it’s very tragic for all of us,” Herman said.
Herman mentioned that there were all kinds of fundraisers going on for the family. The district staged a fundraiser involving paying money to wear jeans.
All three will be buried at Riverside Cemetery in Troy. Fisher-Cheney Funeral Home is handling arrangements.
The girls, along with Jakia’s brother, Jahari Ward, 8, were found unresponsive in their home on South Elm Street in Troy on Feb. 27. The Alexander-Bishop sisters died that same day. Jakia Jones died March 1.
Troy police are still conducting an investigation and will submit a report to the Miami County prosecutor for review once completed.
The children’s death has prompted an outpouring of community support.
The Troy Fire Department and the city of Troy have joined forces with community service organizations, the Lincoln Center and Partners in Hope, to distribute free carbon monoxide detectors to residents.
On Thursday night, hundreds attended a benefit at Culver’s in Troy for the family.
The children’s cousin, Leon Bishop Jr., had worked at Culver’s for about three years. Although it’s been seven years since he last worked there, Potts said he still keeps in touch and frequently stops in the restaurant, that he remains part of their extended family.
Twenty percent of proceeds from the event were directed to the Jean Bishop fund at Wright-Patterson Credit Union to help cover funeral expenses and defray the cost of medical bills.
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