‘Remember Athena Strand.’ 2,500 gather to mourn 7-year-old who touched countless hearts
Around 2,500 people — about five times the size of Paradise — turned out for a vigil Tuesday at First Baptist Church of Cottondale to celebrate the life of Athena Presley Monroe Strand.
Folks came from all over, many who never met her, and letters from others in places as far away as Nebraska and Rhode Island highlighted an evening of thoughts and prayers centered on a young girl whose favorite color was pink and who touched countless hearts.
Athena, 7, was allegedly kidnapped and killed late last week by a FedEx Ground driver who was making a delivery at the gate outside her rural home in Paradise.
Her body was found Friday near Boyd. Tanner Lynn Horner, 31, faces charges of kidnapping and capital murder. He is in the Wise County Jail on $1.5 million bond.
Shortly before the service began, a smattering of rain sprinkles fell upon the crowd. However, they stopped once the candles were lit and the first words were uttered by Pastor Charles Pugh of the First Baptist Church of Cottondale.
Once Pugh closed the service, another sprinkle or two could be felt.
Coincidence? Or did Heaven itself stop crying long enough so as not to douse any candles?
The evening began with a message from Athena’s mother, Maitlyn Gandy, who asked the crowd, “I don’t care if it’s five years from now or 10 years from now, remember Athena Strand.”
Someone from the crowd shouted, “She’s in Heaven!” which prompted someone else to add, “You’ll be with her again someday!” The two comments brought a smile to her face.
Pugh reminded the crowd that in honoring Athena they should “cry, laugh, celebrate and mourn together.”
With pictures of Athena adorning the front of the stage, a host of speakers took turns through tears as they remembered her.
“It’s normal to ask why, but there’s no easy answer and no why that’s going to take away the pain,” said Chris Hurst, pastor of Grace Fellowship Church in Paradise. “The only way to get through the pain is to look forward to the hope God has for us. So, we stand arm-in-arm with one another, love one another, encourage one another.”
Which prompted another response from the crowd: “Like tonight.”
Henry Moran of the Wise County Sheriff’s Office was one of the first to start searching for Athena after she was reported missing. He’s also the father of two young daughters.
“Monsters aren’t just part of a bedtime story. Monsters are real, and unfortunately one was in our community,” he said, reminding folks that, “You might not know or have all the right things to say, but you can be present. Our community is present.”
Then, he added, “Walk like Athena, live like Athena and love like Athena.”
Associate pastor Chris Erickson of the First Baptist Church of Cottondale said every time his young children take a trip to see their grandpa, he opens his arms wide and they run into them. He assured the crowd that Athena did that same thing with Jesus.
“When Athena closed her eyes on this earth, she opened them and ran into the arms of Jesus, and he said to her, ‘Welcome home. I’ve been waiting.’ And now she’s waiting for us.”
“And wearing pink!” came a response from the crowd.
“Hug your kids, hug your family, mend some relationships,” Erickson continued. “When you see a pink sunrise or a pink sunset, think of Athena and ask ‘How can I help someone else?’”
Lindsey Thompson, Athena’s first-grade teacher at Paradise Elementary School, read some letters from Athena’s classmates. She shared some of Athena’s favorite things to do at school, including dancing and creating her own dance moves. She described Athena as being a friend to everyone, saying, “Playing and having fun was her specialty.
“She is now in a paradise much greater than our beloved Paradise, Texas.”
