MILWAUKEE — Hundreds attended the funeral for 6-year-old A'Lisa Gee and 4-year-old Amea Gee, the two sisters killed in a hit-and-run last month.
Jerusalem Baptist Church was filled with things the sisters loved; unicorn balloons and trinkets from the Disney movie "Frozen." It reminded people just how young the girls were. The minister called the funeral a "birthday celebration" to honor the two young lives.
"One day you're here and one day you're gone," said Charmaine Bryant, a family friend who attended the visitation beforehand. "It's a tragedy, and all these people out here showing all this love, I really appreciate it."
Court documents say the sisters were holding hands with their 10-year-old cousin while crossing the street at 22nd and Center on October 24. All three were struck. A'Lisa died at the scene, and Amea died days later. 10-year-old Drevyze Rayford-Gee survived, and he received a standing ovation at his cousin's funeral.
"I'm a dad, so it's heartbreaking to see those two little girls, it's just heartbreaking," said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. "So I grieve with the entire community for them."
Destiny Foster, the mother of A'Lisa and Amea, showed a moment of joy when she sang and danced with her three-year-old son. She wrote a memorial in the funeral program that shares how she dreamed of her daughters' proms and wedding days. It reads in part, "Necer thought I would lose you, Never thought I could give birth to two girls. Then they get snatched away."
People close to Foster ask for the community to keep her family in mind.
"This is just the beginning of their healing process," said community activist Tracey Dent. "It's going to be hard, it's going to be hard, especially for the mom."
To support the family of A'Lisa and Amea Gee, click here. To support the family of Drevyze Rayford-Gee, click here.
