- The final celebrations of life in Wisconsin for the four siblings killed in a wrong-way crash were held Friday in Weyauwega, with a visitation, mass and reception dinner.
- The mass was a more traditional funeral, in line with the siblings' Ecuadorian heritage.
- Luis González Quizphe, the victims' cousin, says the González family hopes the burial in Ecuador will occur in three weeks or less, once transportation documentation is sorted.
- The family is seeking help from legislators and the public to put pressure on immigration officials to allow Jorge González, the lone surviving son of Paulina Gonzalez, to come to the United States from Ecuador.
- González Quizphe says Jorge has an appointment at the U.S. Embassy in Quito on Tuesday morning.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
The final celebration of life in Wisconsin for the González siblings took place with a visitation and mass Friday evening here at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church. Family and friends from Ecuador and beyond joined the González family to mourn the four siblings, who police say were killed by drunk driver in a wrong-way crash about two weeks ago.
Funeral directors said the crowd exceeded 200 inside Saints Peter and Paul Catholic — two days after nearly 400 attended the public funeral at Weyauwega-Fremont High School.
The group celebrated mass and the lives of Daniel, Fabian, Lilian, and Daniela González in a manner consistent with their Eduadorian heritage.
"Coming from this culture — we are a strong community," said Segundo Michael González, the uncle of the four siblings. "We wanted to have everybody joining us, people that are willing to come and show their respects. It was wonderful to have them be able to have the opportunity to say goodbye to our children."
The homilist spoke about Paulina González — carrying on the faith and goodness of her four children.
"The memory of her children will continue to live in [Paulina] and all who were blessed to know and to love them," Fr. Matthew Rappl said.
The victim's cousin, Luis González Quizhpe, says the family hopes Paulina's surviving son Jorge will receive a visa to come to the United States.
"We want to be able to bring her sole son to be with her during this time, so that they can support each other as they grieve during this moment," Gonzalez Quizhpe said.
"My sister is going to need a lot of support because she is going to be the only person at home," Miguel Gonzalez said.
Luis says Jorge has an appointment at the US Embassy in Quito on Tuesday.
As we have previously reported, Scott Farmer is charged with killing the González children by way of homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle.
After a funeral reception, the bodies of all four siblings will be taken to their home country for burial — keeping with the tradition of the Saraguro people in Ecuador.
