Hundreds gathered on Monday for the funeral of the 10-year-old girl who was killed in a New Jersey school bus crash on Thursday morning.
The service for Miranda Faith Vargas was held at Marrocco Memorial Chapel in Clifton, one day after the East Brook Middle School community mourned together at a wake and vigil on Sunday, for both the fifth grader and 51-year-old teacher Jennifer Williamson-Kennedy.
The wake was attended by many residents of the city of Paramus, including students who were involved in the crash, school faculty and staff, parents, neighbors and loved ones of the victims.
Vargas’ twin sister, Madison, showed incredible resilience, thanking those that attended her sister’s funeral, Jose Hernandez, the little girls’ great uncle told NJ.com.
Hundreds gathered on Monday at the funeral for 10-year-old girl Miranda Faith Vargas, the fifth graders who was killed in a New Jersey school bus crash on Thursday morning
Hernandez said there was a ‘quiet sadness’ at the service as Vargas’ mother spoke about her daughter.
‘She said she lost her angel with no malice. She was asking, “Why did God take my angel?”‘ he said. ‘It’s tough to see a mother grieve like that.’
‘They’re a spiritual family,’ Hernandez added. ‘They have a strong belief in a higher power and I’m sure that will get them through this.’
He estimated that close to 200 people filled the room, in celebration of the middle schooler’s life.
Jose Hernandez, the great uncle of Vargas, estimated that close to 200 people filled the room, in celebration of the middle schooler’s life at Marrocco Memorial Chapel in Clifton on Monday
Family and friends said Vargas was a respectful and sweet child who enjoyed riding her bike
‘Everybody seemed like they were happy to be there to pay their final respects,’ Hernandez said. ‘This was a community event, this wasn’t just a singular death.’
Among those in attendance was Shelly Cash, Vargas’ camp counselor during her stay last summer at Adventures in Learning in Paramus.
‘Miranda was a sweet young child, she was never far from her sister,’ Cash said.
‘She was a high-spirited young girl who was always eager to learn new things and try new things.’
‘Miranda was a sweet young child, she was never far from her sister,’ her camp counselor said
A girl leans over bouquets of flowers to blow a kiss at a memorial for Vargas and Williamson-Kennedy in front of East Brook Middle School on Friday in Paramus, New Jersey
Family and friends told News 12 New Jersey that Vargas will be remembered as respectful and sweet child who enjoyed riding her bike.
Services for Williamson-Kennedy, who had been teaching for more than 20 years and grew up just a few blocks from East Brook Middle School, will be held over the coming days.
Viewing hours for Williamson-Kennedy will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, between the hours of 3:00pm and 8:00pm at Vander Plaat Memorial Home in Paramus.
The beloved teacher will be interred following a funeral mass on Thursday, beginning at 10:00am at Our Lady of the Visitation RC Church, also in Paramus.
Services for Jennifer Williamson-Kennedy, who had been teaching for more than 20 years and grew up just a few blocks from East Brook Middle School, will be held over the coming days; Williamson-Kennedy is pictured here with her husband, Kevin Kennedy, on their wedding day
Vargas and Williamson-Kennedy were both on the school bus that collided with a dump truck owned by Mendez Trucking on Interstate 80 in Mount Olive in Thursday
Vargas and Williamson-Kennedy were both on the school bus that collided with a dump truck owned by Mendez Trucking on Interstate 80 in Mount Olive in Thursday.
There were 38 fifth grade students and seven adults on board the bus that was involved in the accident.
Of the 45 people on board, 43 had to be taken to the hospital.
The school bus that crashed was one of three buses taking students on what was supposed to be a day trip to Waterloo Village, a restored 19th-century canal town in Byram Township, located in Sussex County in northwestern New Jersey.
A source told NJ Advance Media that the driver of the school bus attempted an illegal U-turn after missing an exit, west of exit 25 and moments before the dump truck struck the bus from behind.
The driver is among those who were injured in the crash.
The Vargas family’s lawyer has pledged that he will look under ‘every rock and every stone in an attempt to find out what happened.’
A source told NJ Advance Media that the driver of the bus attempted an illegal U-turn after missing an exit, moments before the dump truck struck the bus from behind
The Vargas family’s lawyer has pledged that he will look under ‘every rock and every stone in an attempt to find out what happened’ in the crash that occurred on Thursday