City of Amherst remembers family of 6 killed in tragic fire – Halifax | The Canadian News

The Amherst, NS community joined in a sad but moving public service for the family who lost their lives in the Millvale travel trailer fire nearly two weeks ago.

The September 12 fire claimed the lives of Robert Jorge (RJ) Sears, 30, his partner, Michelle Robertson, 28, and their four children, Madison, 11, Robert Ryder, 8, Jaxson, 4, and Colin. (CJ), 3.

“One lost child is too much,” Robertson’s cousin Michelle Ferdinand said during the moderated ceremony. “Four plus two is beyond what our hearts and minds can comprehend.”

The family was killed during an outing to celebrate the minor’s third birthday.

The provincial fire marshal’s office has ruled the fire accidental, saying it determined the fire was small but smoky and generated “a lot of smoke and fumes.”

But Ferdinand wants the family to be remembered for who they were rather than how they died.

She described RJ as “genuinely kind” and adored by her parents, co-workers, and friends. A true lover of nature, he had a passion for camping and hunting.

And Michelle “is the definition of perseverance with a smile,” Ferdinand said. “Always breaking down each and every obstacle to make the life of his children the best possible.”

The four children, older sister Maddy and brothers Ryder, Jaxson and CJ, were extremely close and “absolutely loved each other,” he said.

“This particular summer, they created so many wonderful memories,” said Ferdinand. “They were the best I’ve seen, so happy and so close.”

‘Love is the most important’

David Kogon, the mayor of Amherst, said losing an entire family at once is a difficult concept to tackle.

“You can’t help but feel the loss of an entire family with four young children, but it brings the community together, as you can see in today’s service participation,” he said.

“I’ve never been through something like this. And I think that to start the grieving process, you really have to start with this (service). “

Meanwhile, family and friends are left trying to move on.

“It’s hard not to ask why or how, to which we will never fully know the answer,” Ferdinand said.

“All I know is that if I don’t take into account that love is the most important thing, and that we don’t have a guaranteed tomorrow, then, for me, this tragedy is in vain.”

– with files from Callum Smith