Families Honor Departed Children With Candlelight Service

“My brother…”

“My granddaughter …”

“My sister …”

In the cold air, the voices called out the names of the lost, a haunting memorial for those departed far too soon.

Hundreds of parents, family and friends gathered at an annual candlelight vigil in Lake Forest Tuesday night to remember and honor those who died as children.

Held at the feet of the Angel of Hope statue—a bronze statue of a small childlike angel—in the El Toro Memorial Park on Trabuco Road, the ceremony marked the 10th anniversary of the event.

Erin Runnion, founder of The Joyful Child Foundation, gave the keynote address. Runnion's 5-year-old daughter Samantha was kidnapped and murdered in July 2002.

Runnion said grief takes its toll.

“My family has had to create a new normal,” Runnion told the gathered crowd. “Because, when you lose your child, everything changes.”

And while she wished she could take away the pain of those who had suffered, Runnion says that grief shows how important the lost are to those who remain.

“The depth of our emotions is a reflection of what [the departed] mean to us,” she said.

Runnion encouraged attendees to honor their loved one's memories by helping other children.

The ceremony began under a large tree at 7 p.m. in the children’s section of the cemetery. Some attendees wore jackets and others wrapped themselves in thick blankets.

In the cold, a number of families sat near the shining gravestones of loved ones. White candles lit the dark graveyard under the clear sky and waxing moon.

Most visitors held white roses.  

Earlier that day, volunteers from the Ruby Jane Foundation cleaned up and placed flowers .

 was 7 months old when she , waiting for a liver transplant. Her parents, Matt and Ani Taylor, began the foundation in her honor.

Near the end of the ceremony, attendees lined up in front of the statue and said the names of those who had departed.

They then placed white roses in the statue’s hands, at the statue’s feet or at the base of the statue.

Between 500 to 600 people attended, according to event organizers.

Mission Viejo resident Carlos Sanchez was one of them.

He, his wife Cynthia, and their children, Anthony and Julia, both 8, came to honor Grayce, who lived for 21 days before she died.

The three children were born as triplets, but in July 2003 Grayce sucumbed to health issues caused by a hole in her diaphragm, her parents said Tuesday.

“It’s our family tradition to come and honor her,” Carlos Sanchez said. “We come during birthdays and Christmas.”

“I never got to see her,” says Anthony. “It makes me feel sad.”

Julia says she misses Grayce “because she’s my sister.”

Kevin Tarachanowicz of Trabuco Canyon honored his son Carson Michael Tarachanowicz, who was stillborn in July 13, 2009. 

Standing just a few steps away from the Angel of Hope statue, Kevin said that if he could say anything to his son, it’s this: “We’ll meet again.”

Carson is one of the names inscribed on the more than 231 bricks at the feet of the Angel of Hope statue. The bricks hold the names of those children who have died.

According to organizers, there are 104 similar angels throughout the United States and Canada, but the Lake Forest angel is the first and only in Southern California.

Visit the Ruby Jane Foundation Facebook page for more information about the organization's service projects and efforts to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation.

To see more information about the Angel of Hope, visit careandkindness.org/angelofhope.