An angel of hope for murdered Powell boys
Dec 6, 2012, 1:02 PM | Updated: 2:05 pm
The Angel of Hope at Woodbine Cemetery in Puyallup will be dedicated during a candlelight ceremony Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. (Photo: Pierce County Detective Ed Troyer)
(Photo: Pierce County Detective Ed Troyer)
They were murdered nearly a year ago and Thursday night a special ceremony will be held to remember Charlie and Braden Powell and to dedicate a memorial in their honor.
The little boys lost their lives when their father, Josh Powell, blew up their Puyallup home on Feb. 5. Their mother, Susan Cox Powell, has been missing since Dec. 2009. She was last seen at their Utah home. Josh had been a person of interest in her disappearance.
When they heard there was a chance Josh might be buried next to his murdered sons, KIRO Radio’s Ron and Don Show wanted to make sure that could never happen. They helped to raise more than $50,000 to buy the plots at Woodbine Cemetery surrounding Charlie and Braden and to build a special memorial for the boys.
“It’s not just for Charlie and Braden,” says Pierce County Detective Ed Troyer. “The people involved want this to be a place for all kids who are victims of fires, victims of car wrecks, and who might not be able to afford to be buried anywhere else.”
The memorial stands about four-and-a-half feet tall and five feet wide, with the arms of an angel reaching upwards and wings outstretched.
“It’s called the Angel of Hope from the book ‘The Christmas Box,'” Troyer explains, “And every Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. people gather across the country for candlelight vigils at these angel statues.”
The memorial has hundreds of bricks which will each represent a child whose life was taken too soon. Troyer says Charlie and Braden’s mother, Susan, is also pictured. Although she has never been found, Troyer says he believes she is with her boys now in heaven.
The public dedication will be held at 7:00 p.m. at Woodbine Cemetery in Puyallup.
