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Neighbors of Jean and James Warhola have hung a large banner in their neighborhood to deliver a simple message: "We will always remember you."
The effort was one way for those close to the children to show their love and deal with the grief of their deaths. Prosecutors have charged their mother, Sun Cha Warhola, with two counts of aggravated murder for allegedly strangling 7-year-old Jean and 8-year-old James on Sept. 7 in their Layton home.
"My hope is that in time everybody will remember the sweet little children, James and Jean, instead of the manner in which they died," said neighbor Kat Lee.
Kenneth Warhola buried his children after a Mass on Thursday at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Layton.
Lee said the funeral was attended by family and friends as well as military and nonmilitary personnel from Hill Air Force Base where Kenneth Warhola worked.
"It was a very beautiful albeit sad occasion," Lee said.
Davis County School District spokeswoman Shauna Lund said Thursday the pair will be memorialized on school grounds at East Layton Elementary with the planting of two trees. The names of Jean and James also will be added to a rock outside the school that bears the name of another student who died, Lund said.
Neighbor Coleen John said she attended Thursday's services to remember how special both children were. She nearly came to tears when she saw that Jean would be buried in a pink-trimmed casket, while James had a blue one.
"I've got shoes older than those children were," John said after the services. "What really upsets me is to think about how much life they were cheated out of."