First Funeral Held For Young Tornado Victims

The world is coming face-to-face with the tragedy in Moore as we learn more about the 24 people who died, especially the 10 children.

Thursday, May 23rd 2013, 5:47 pm

By: News On 6


The world is coming face-to-face with the tragedy in Moore as we learn more about the 24 people who died, especially the 10 children.

Nine-year-old Antonia Candelaria's funeral was Thursday.

She was nicknamed "Ladybug," and was gifted in music and art.

Antonia's mother told a British newspaper her daughter died in the arms of her best friend, a classmate at Plaza Towers Elementary School, who was also killed.

Emily Conatzer, 9, loved unicorns, Lady Gaga and dreamed of one day traveling to Paris to become a fashion designer.

The third-grader died at Plaza Towers Elementary with seven other children, including her best friend Antonia.

Emily "rode up to heaven on a unicorn traveling on a path of love leaving Moore," her family wrote in her obituary. She was a beautiful princess, her family wrote, with a love for "all things girly."

Antonia's mother said both little girls had scratch marks from where they were hanging onto each other as they both suffocated.

Kyle Davis, 8, was in the same classroom.

Nicknamed "The Wall" for his shot-blocking prowess on the soccer field, Kyle loved going to monster truck shows with his grandfather.

And 4-year-old Karrina Vargyas and her infant sister, Sydnee, were ripped form their mother's arms when the twister came through their home.

Complete Coverage: May 2013 Tornado Coverage

Christopher Legg, 9, was also in Plaza Towers Elementary School.

Christopher's years were defined by courage in the face of daunting illness. Diagnosed with skin cancer and Osgood-Schlatter disease - an illness which can cause painful inflammation in the knees of young athletes - Christopher nevertheless loved to play sports and "roughhouse and wrestle with his Daddy" and his brother and sister, according to a statement issued by the family.

"He was greatly loved by all who knew him," the family said. "He never met a stranger. You were always a friend in his eyes."

JaNae Hornsby, 9, was one of seven children killed inside the Plaza Towers Elementary School. She loved to draw and sing, according to her father. JaNae's home, just three blocks from the school, was also destroyed by the tornado.

"It's like taking a piece out of my heart and just like stomping on it," said her grandmother, Yolanda Hornsby.

5/22/2013 Related Story: Victims Of Deadly Moore Tornado Identified

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