The gently rolling lawn at Willows Beach filled with still and silent mourners Saturday evening to remember the legacy of joy and love left by two young girls.
Oak Bay United Church Rev. Michelle Slater said that in the wake of their deaths, “we are naturally drawn together to give voice to our sorrow and shock, and to seek comfort.
“And we come to honour life, especially the lives of Chloe and Aubrey Berry, and to show our tangible support and care for their mother Sarah and for their whole family.”
The girls’ lives had meaning and purpose, Slater said. “The world was a more beautiful place because of them. A more loving and delightful place.”
The bodies of Chloe, 6, and Aubrey, 4, were found in an Oak Bay apartment by police on Christmas Day.
Their father, Andrew Berry, was taken to hospital with self-inflicted injuries. His condition has not been made public.
Sarah Cotton, mother of the girls, was separated from the father.
The vigil was organized by her friends — many of them work with her in public relations — along with others in the community and Oak Bay municipality.
Jennifer Jasechko opened the vigil by playing a variety of songs on the piano, including Moon River. It ended with her playing Amazing Grace, as some in the crowd sang along.
The soft glow from many hundreds of candles reflected the reverential atmosphere at the vigil. Despite recent poor weather, no rain fell and the temperature was mild.
Mementos, cards, and flowers were placed at the foot of the stage facing the grass, which formed a natural amphitheatre.
In an evening dedicated to honouring the girls and their family, it seemed fitting that a mother kissed and soothed her fussy baby during a minute of silence.
Slater read an email message from the girls’ paternal grandparents to those at the vigil, which said, “We are extremely grateful for the kind support we and Sarah have been given at this most desperate of times. These children were the light of our lives and a big part of our extremely small family.
“We are so grateful that we shared their lives.”
Ricky de Souza, principal of St. Christopher’s Montessori School, attended by Aubrey, remembered the girl with the ready smile as a “really kind, warm and gentle soul and spirit.
“She showed a really nurturing quality to the other children in the class. Somehow she just seemed to sense if someone was sad or lonely.” Aubrey would quietly sit beside that child to comfort them.
In this year’s nativity play, Aubrey was an obvious choice for the role of the Angel Gabriel, he said. During her performance, “she was even more radiant that day.”
Stuart Hall, Christ Church Cathedral School principal, said Chloe joined the school in September. “In that short time, her great big soul shone through brightly.”
“Chloe was a very caring friend. It seems it runs in the family.”
When a classmate was bumped or bruised on the playground, “Chloe would seem to swoop in out of nowhere and wrap her arms around that friend.”
A joyful and eager learner, she wrote in her school agenda that “Today is the best day” and “Today was an awesome day.”
Hall urged people to draw on the love and compassion of those nearby. “Ask them to help you shoulder the burden of your grief. Turn around right now and don’t let anybody stand alone in their grief. Just take a moment to give each other a hug.”
A gentle rustling was heard as people followed Hall’s suggestion and embraced each other.
After more candles were lit on stage, quiet notes from a trumpet playing Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah sounded from the south side of the park. Musician Daniel Lapp walked in front of the stage playing the trumpet and the audience responded by singing along.
Oak Bay Acting Mayor Hazel Braithwaite said, “There are no adequate words that come close to describing this tragic loss, or that can help us express our feelings or our grief.
“This touches all of us at the most basic level.”
Because Chloe and Aubrey loved to play at Willows Beach, Oak Bay council will be discussing with their mother an appropriate recognition at the playground, Braithwaite said.
The hope for the evening is that will help people come together to “honour, to comfort, to deal with our sadness and begin to heal,” she said.
