Hundreds pack a church in South Surrey to remember Teagan Batstone
Posted December 18, 2014 12:10 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
SURREY (NEWS1130) – Hundreds packed a church in South Surrey last night to celebrate the life of Teagan Batstone.
The eight-year-old was found dead in a car trunk a week ago. Her mother is charged with her murder and is due in court Thursday.
Sources close to the family tells News1130 Teagan’s autopsy results have come back inconclusive.
White Rock Baptist Church hosted the emotional memorial, which was complete with music, memories and a powerful message from the pastor.
“Nothing can express our sadness that Teagan is not with us,” said Pastor Ellis Andre to the congregation.
Given the circumstances of the tragedy, he told the crowd to have compassion and empathy for the Batstone family. “Let’s hold our judgement. There are people who are suffering.”
Moms and dads held onto their kids a little tighter, some with tissues in hand helping wipe tears as speakers shared their favorite memories of the child.
The thoughts of Teagan continued even after the formal ceremony.
Marina, who was Teagan’s babysitter, says she was feeling “pretty shattered almost, it’s been a week but it’s still pretty fresh.”
With tears in her eyes, she said the two of them did everything together, from trips to the aquarium to camping and even getting their ears pierced.
She’ll never forget how much joy she brought to people’s lives. “I think Teagan always wanted people to be happy and her biggest priority was to make sure that nobody was sad.”
Many people say they will remember her for smile and her ability to warm your heart with her hug.
Sandra says Teagan was a part of her after school care program. “I’ve owned Creative Kids for 19 years and I’ve never ever in my career, ever laid a child to rest for any reason. This is very, very hard to take because this is one of our kids too.”
Others describe Teagan as a bright spark that always had a way of lighting up a room.
“We know it’s going to take a lot of healing. This is just one step in the process. It’s all about Teagan. She was greatly loved. She was all that we said she was. We wanted to remember and honour her…it’s hard on all of us. This is a thing you don’t dream will happen. It’s the last thing we were expecting and it’s happened,” added Andre.
