Community Corner
Friends, Loved Ones Say Goodbye to Andrus Family At Funeral Service
The family of four were laid to rest Tuesday at a Darien cemetery after a funeral service, held exactly one week after their lives came to an unexpected end.
Family, friends and classmates of the Andrus family gathered Tuesday to say goodbye to four people that cared deeply about each other.
A funeral service for Jeana, Jessica, Jennifer and David Andrus was held at St. Matthew Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lemont. The church was filled with mourners who held each other close and wiped away tears during the 45-minute service.
The Andrus family died exactly one week ago June 11 in their home on Oldfield Road in unincorporated Downers Grove. They all suffered gunshot wounds but only David Andrus' shot was self-inflicted, officials said. Police say they are not looking for any suspects.
As their loved ones continue to grapple with the deaths, Rev. Michael Gudgel told them something he told the other members of the Andrus family on Monday night.
"You are not alone," he said during Tuesday's eulogy. "You are never alone. If you get to a place of deep darkness, please see me or someone else. There's always hope, always light and always love."
Gudgel stood in the center of the Andrus' four light-colored caskets. Each casket had a framed picture on top of the family member inside. Jeana, 48, wore a dress, as did Jennifer, 16; Jessica, 22, was smiling and so was David, 50, wearing red.
Gudgel said all four members of the family were loving, caring and also enjoyed animals. As Gudgel lightheartedly remarked that their home was like a zoo, attendees laughed. A mention of Jennifer's ever-changing hair color brought smiles but also sobs in the crowd, especially her friends.
Gudgel knew June 11 was a heartbreaking day for the congregation when they received word that the family was dead. He said David Andrus must have been in a place of darkness.
"What would you have said if he told you," Gudgel said. "What would you have done about the darkness? …. It's hard to be in that dark place."
Gudgel said he would have asked Andrus to seek out the Lord, just as he urged the crowd during the eulogy. His words were bordered by songs like Amazing Grace and prayers such as The Lord's Prayer (Our Father).
As the service concluded, the four caskets were slowly carried out into individual hearses. The family's final resting place is the Clarendon Hills Cemetery in Darien.
Family gathered behind them and embraced quietly outside the church as a bell rang overhead. Before she left, one woman mentioned the Andrus family's life after death.
"There are a few more angels in heaven," she said.
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