Reading about it is heavy; I have seen things like that happen in families before, and it is always kind of awkward and weird and sad. The whole thing that happened to Haven Lemaire at the funeral looks like one of those situations where everything just goes breaking all together. At fourteen, he is already having to deal with the death of his father, and on the funeral day, all this happened.
His father’s funeral, Eric Lemaire, should have been his moment of peace, but it turned opposite: a scene of chaos with shouts and cries and people taking different sides. I went to a funeral for a family friend once, and it was just weird for me as I watched grown-ups cry. I could never imagine myself in Haven’s shoes amid shouting and fighting.
Haven’s mom, Sarah, said that the argument started during a small moment when Haven asked her if she wanted a last picture with him by the casket. It sounded like something a kid would say; he is trying to hold on to that one last memory of his dad. But John, who was a relative, made a very disrespectful remark, and that was what set the whole thing off. Haven thought it was disrespectful to his dad, and some tensions were already brewing there.
Sarah thought she had told everybody that they would leave so that nothing more would happen. But while she was walking away, things got a lot worse. She said that Eric’s niece, Selena, said something that she thought was disrespectful when she came and confronted her. Sarah then told her to stay out of it. Then another niece, Sebrina, attacked Sarah from behind.
Haven saw the attack on his mom and intervened, telling everyone to stop. This really touched me because any grown-up would have done that in the same situation. When he dragged Sebrina back, Sarah says that Steven Crosby, his uncle, grabbed Haven and started pulling him in; all the while, more people were joining in to push and hit him.
I know how scary that must have felt because I once saw a fight break out near me in school, and even as a witness, I froze. I cannot imagine anything worse than being thrust into that chaos with older and stronger people.
Sarah claimed that she was knocked down and surrounded, hearing her son crying and pleading with them to stop hurting his mom. Another family friend tried to help, and he got punched, too. She also added that the cops were supposed to be there, since prior problems existed in the family, but no officer showed up.
In her account, she later stated that she was sure some members of the family had arranged it, so they could hurt whatever was left of Eric she had with her. She and the boys had spent money traveling just to pay their last respects, and instead were sent home in fright.
She said she had no scratches or bruises, and she felt like Eric was still guarding her. I do not know what to say about that, but I think somebody, when dead, becomes an excuse for anything that a grieving soul can hold on to.
But in the whole story, there is another side.
Eric’s niece, Selena, had commented on Haven’s video, asserting Sarah was the one to instigate. She says Sarah tried to shove everyone out, even some who helped cover Eric’s very expensive funeral. Selena said that Sarah got right into her face, slapped her hand, and claimed that in her self-defense, she had pushed her purse down.
Jennifer Crosby, another family member, vehemently defended her husband, claiming he never hurt Haven; he was only stopping the fighting. In her opinion, Sarah started everything, and she questioned why any mother would put her children through such an ordeal.
Some eyewitnesses, who sided with Selena and Jennifer, stated that Sarah added fuel to the already burning fire through her videos and lengthy posts online, upsetting the kids even more. One said that Haven was forced to act as an adult among all of them.
Now things are escalating as some are posting hurtful comments online, bringing up buried issues. Even more sadly, the boys can see all of this while they are still trying to cope with their father’s death. I saw real-life examples of confrontations among relations on Facebook, and that already felt so awkward. I can just imagine how hard that would be for Haven.
All the way to the bottom, it would be hard to gauge whose case truly stands. Videos only tell shorts, and so everybody has their own narration. What is evident, however, is that there, in front of the funeral, a fourteen-year-old boy, just dealing with the death of his father, was dragged into something that never should have occurred. He ended up not only being hurt, scared, and stuck in the middle of the fighting adults, but also being prevented from saying goodbye.
When funerals turn into chaos, it feels like the whole family breaks even more. I hope that Haven and his brother get a chance to heal because right now it looks like they are caught up in a storm made by the adults. You may also be interested in: UNH Tight End Chris Jeannot Dies Suddenly, Leaving Parents Mike and Jo Jeannot Heartbroken
