GARLAND Hundreds paid tribute at a memorial service Sunday for 12-year-old Matthias Berhanu, a Richardson boy who was killed on a school field trip in East Texas.
Matthias was sitting at a bench at Sky Ranch when he was struck by a falling tree.
Friends and family members read poems and spoke about their beloved classmate on Sunday at the memorial service at St. Michael Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Garland.
It's tough; it's just tough, said Gelila Berhanu, the victim's sister. It's tough seeing boys his age, seeing his friends, and knowing he's not there with them any more.
Members of the Ethiopian community in Garland rallied around Matthias' family for the special service on Sunday evening.
Now we just got to say our good-byes, said Elias Argaw, Matthias' cousin.
The accident still puzzles the boy's family. Sky Ranch insists it regularly prunes its trees, and said it is reviewing the incident.
Why was he allowed to sit under that tree is what we're really trying to understand, said Gelila. Where does the responsibility lie at this point?
Now, Matthias' family searches for comfort for a young life suddenly gone.
E-mail jbetz@wfaa.com
