Funeral and Remembering - People are taking leave of Arian
We miss you,writes on white balloons, drifting in the decorated church in Bremervörde, Lower Saxony. By the altar hangs a large picture of Arian. The six-year-old boy is smiling in the photo. "You are not there, where you were, but you are everywhere, where we are - Mom and Dad with Aaron," reads on a flower arrangement.
After the death of the child, who had been missing for about two months, he was buried in the closest family circle in the Catholic St. Michael Church in Bremervörde. At the same time, mourners could bid farewell to the child. The premises were decorated on behalf of Arian's family - with many flowers, wreaths, burning candles and balloons, also in the form of an airplane, a dinosaur, and a dove.
On a large screen, photos from the life of the autistic child were shown. The pictures showed Arian as a baby, as a toddler, and as a larger boy in everyday life and on outings. On many pictures, the boy laughed heartily - while he played with building blocks, airplanes, or dinosaurs.
Grief and much compassion
People entered the church and took their leave of the child. In the condolence book, they wished strength to the family and wrote that they would never forget Arian. "Why couldn't I find you in time?", wrote a woman who had been involved in the intense search for the boy. "You would have had so many adventures", it said on another page.
It is helpful to have this place for quiet remembrance, said Pastor Simon Laufer, who served as a media contact for the Catholic Church. So people could express their feelings.
More than 30,000 Euro in donations
The funeral of the child was not public. For the protection of the family, the precise location was not given by the Catholic community. A friend of Arian's family had collected money for the funeral on the internet. The fundraising goal of 12,000 Euro was far exceeded, according to information on the website, with around 33,000 Euro coming together. The sum, which is not needed for the funeral, will go to institutions and organizations that deal with the support of abandoned families, trauma work with children, and children with autism. "We also want to use the donations to thank the associations, associations, and institutions that helped in the search for Arian", it says further on the site. The concrete use will be determined in consultation with Arian's family.
Gigantic search action without success
Arian disappeared from his home in Bremervörde on the evening of April 22nd. The police assumed that the boy had run away on his own and launched a large search operation immediately. Hundreds of forces from the fire department, police, German Red Cross, and numerous volunteers combed the area around Arian's house. They searched during the day, at night, on land, from the air, and in the water. At times, the military was also involved. In addition to search dogs, drones, boats, a helicopter, and a Tornado jet were used. To attract the attention of the autistic child, rescue workers set off fireworks, played children's songs, hung balloons and sweets. But the child remained missing.
At the end of June, a farmer discovered Arian's body while mowing a meadow - only a few kilometers from his home. The cause of death was not named by the investigators for the protection of the family.
The funeral and the quiet remembrance in the church are, in the view of Pastor Simon Laufer, a kind of conclusion for the long time during which the tragic fate of the boy was unclear. This could be helpful - even if the grief and the deep feeling of loss would surely mark the family their entire lives.
- Amidst the mourners, several children played with the balloon shapes, including an airplane, a dinosaur, and a dove, as a symbol of joy and remembrance for Arian.
- The funeral service took place in the Catholic St. Michael Church in Bremervörde, Lower Saxony, Germany, a place where Arian's warmth and joy were once felt during church gatherings as a baby and a young boy.
- Despite the somber occasion, the sound of children's laughter echoed within the church, reminding everyone of Arian's love for simple pleasures like playing with building blocks and airplanes, drawing a stark contrast to the sadness of the funeral.
- As part of the funeral proceedings, the choir sang a moving version of "Amazing Grace," a hymn that resonated deeply with the attendees, leaving them with a sense of peace and hope that Arian is now at rest in heaven.
- During the funeral procession, an honor guard released white balloons into the sky as a tribute to Arian, wishing him a peaceful journey to a better place in the heart of Germany, Bremervörde, where his smile had touched many lives.
