MT. LEBANON, Pa. — The Mount Lebanon community, still reeling from the deaths of two young children, came together Wednesday evening for a prayer service honoring the family and supporting those affected by the tragedy.
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The service was held at St. Bernard’s Church, where the family worshipped. The priest said the community planned to pray for the family members, the children’s classmates and first responders.
The deaths of 8-year-old James Lynch, 6-year-old Caroline Lynch and their father, Patrick Lynch, have left the tight-knit community searching for ways to cope.
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In a Facebook post honoring her children, their mother, Anna Lynch, called James and Caroline “best friends” and shared a picture of the two playing side by side.
She called them her “angels” and wrote that her husband made the irreversible decision to take the lives of their two children and himself.
Anna Lynch said her husband had been laid off in August and had become depressed. She also said he had a therapy appointment scheduled for Wednesday, one day after the deaths.
Police said Patrick, James and Caroline fell five stories from a municipal parking garage Tuesday night. Investigators said the incident was not an accident.
The Mount Lebanon School District closed Markham and Washington elementary schools Wednesday as students, families and staff processed the loss of two young classmates.
Some parents spent the day with their children, trying to help them understand what happened.
“We are all reeling quite a bit and trying to figure out how to talk to our kids about it,” Mount Lebanon resident Janelle Christensen said.
Christensen said families gathered to give children a way to process their feelings and do something positive for the community.
Several children met at a park near the Lynch family’s home, where they raked leaves and spent time together while remembering James and Caroline.
Steve Jerhan, a Mount Lebanon resident, said the children openly shared their emotions as they gathered.
“This morning when the kids got together, the first thing was like, ‘I cried last night,’” Jerhan said. “They all take it in different ways.”
The group chose the park as a place to honor the children because it was a place the community enjoyed throughout the year.
The prayer service was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at St. Bernard’s Church.
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