‘Beautiful souls’: Grandfather describes the two children lost in Cahokia Heights fire

“They were best friends.”

That’s how Rick Metcalf described his two grandchildren, who died as a result of a house fire in Cahokia Heights on Feb. 23.

Chad Metcalf and his sibling, Sharli Edmonds, both 4, were born 11 months apart.

“Sharli, she was my daughter Crystal’s right hand,” Metcalf said. “She was just attached to mom. She was mom’s best friend sidekick. She loved dolls and toys and just running around playing. She loved Minnie Mouse.

“And Chad, he was just one of a kind,” Metcalf said. “He had a heart of gold, just a heart of gold. That kid would just give his shirt right off his back … He just gave, gave, gave.

“Just beautiful children, beautiful souls that will be forever missed in our family and we’ll never be the same from it.”

Funeral service and procession

Visitation for Chad and Sharli will be 10 a.m. to noon Sunday at the Michel Funeral Home at 5930 Southwest Ave. near the intersection of Hampton Avenue in St. Louis.

The funeral service begins at noon.

When that service concludes at about 1 p.m., there will be a procession from the funeral home to the Chapel Hill Cemetery at 6300 Highway 30 in Cedar Hill, Missouri.

From the funeral home on Southwest Avenue, the procession will turn left onto Hampton Avenue and then right on Gravois Road and continue to the Chapel Hill Cemetery in Cedar Hill.

Metcalf, who will lead the procession, welcomes the public to line the route of the procession. He expects dozens of motorcyclists from a charity group he supports to join him in the procession along with firefighters.

“I know the community’s hearts are breaking,” Metcalf said. He said his daughter, Crystal Ann Bates, has “a huge family and a huge comfort zone.”

“We’re all holding her tight and we’re going to be there and we just want the public to pray for us,” he said.

A GoFundMe page titled “Children lost in tragic house fire” has been established for Chad and Sharli.

Fire investigation

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office, an agency spokesman said Friday.

Cahokia Heights firefighters received a report that two children were trapped inside a burning house on St. Gregory Drive around 2:10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23, according to Fire Chief Steve Robbins.

Metcalf said his daughter was home at the time of the fire and was able to escape with her 3-year-old daughter. He said that Chad and Sharli were taking a nap.

Robbins said firefighters encountered “heavy fire” at the home and found the two children in a bedroom.

Chad was pronounced deceased at the scene and Sharli died in a St. Louis hospital, authorities said.

News-Democrat reporter Carolyn P. Smith contributed information for this article.