Devastated Mom Barely Holds Back Tears at Funeral of Husband and 3 Kids Killed on Same Day | "I Can't and I Won't Accept It"

After being married for more than two decades, having a family together, and building a life, most couples hope that they can continue loving each other. However, one woman's life was shattered when her beloved family was attacked in their own home.

On the morning of September 4, an intruder shot and killed four members of the same family in Oshawa, Ontario. The suspect who attacked Loretta Traynor's family was identified as 48-year-old Mitchell Lapa, a relative of the family.

He was not welcome at their Oshawa home. In the attack, Loretta's husband 51-year-old Chris, and children, 20-year-old Bradley, 15-year-old Adelaide, and 11-year-old Joey, were killed. She survived the attack and so did her oldest son, Sam, who was not at home then, according to CTV News.

At the funeral, Loretta sat in a wheelchair barely keeping it together as four of her most cherished people's coffins were laid out side by side. The mother and son, who survived this tragic event, shared their grief over their family "taken too soon, too violently, and without warning".

The mother-of-four was surrounded by her family and friends at the St. Mary of the People Parish, when she spoke up about the "dark places" she went to after losing most of her family.

"In no way, shape or form can I believe that good will come out of this tragedy. I can't and I won't accept it. But what I have to take with me is that light that I have found from all of you. You have given me a lens into my family's lives that I didn't have and that is a gift for which I am forever grateful," she said, during her tearful eulogy.

"I am so proud to be Chris' wife. I love him with everything that I have. I am so proud to be Bradley's mom. He was one of the kindest spirits to ever walk the face of this earth. And I am so proud to be Adelaide's mom. Her heart was pure as gold. And I am so proud to be Joey's mom. He was innocent and happy and he had the biggest dreams of all of us.”

The suspect, Lapa, died of a self-inflicted wound, according to CBC. He was Loretta's brother and had been cut out of their father's will. Loretta and her children were the main beneficiaries of her father's estate, as per court documents obtained by CBC.

The pain of losing her family made it hard for her to go from day to day, she said. "They were the best of me," said Loretta. "I have lost so many parts of me that make me a better person." 

Sam also spoke about his family with his mom by his side. "The happiness that they brought us is greater than any evil," he said. "I wish with all my heart that it could have been longer and we could have all gone through life together."

He added that he wished his father could see him graduate and his brother Bradley could be the best man at his wedding. He also wished he could see his sister Adelaide grow up, and could laugh with Joey one last time. "You always hear that you don't know what you got until it's gone," he added. "But we always knew. We knew we were loved."

The mother-of-four opened up about her "social and adventurous" husband, with whom she had spent 23 years together. "As you can expect after 23 years of marriage, I've pretty much heard all of his stories, probably about 23 times or more. But even so he tried harder than ever to find something that would make me laugh and once in a while he did. And boy did I laugh," she said.

Loretta, who was injured during the shooting, said, "My last words to each of them was that I loved them." She said that while she knows she will be able to move forward, it has been a whirlwind of emotions to come to that realization.

References:

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/my-last-words-to-each-of-them-was-that-i-loved-them-oshawa-mom-speaks-at-funeral-for-husband-3-children-1.5108529

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/traynor-funeral-1.5727947