Jordan and Evan Caldwell funeral to be held Thursday
The funeral for Jordan and Evan Caldwell, the twins killed after attempting to slide down the bobsled track at Canada Olympic Park on toboggans, will be held on Feb. 11 at the Centre Street Church.
The two were part of a group of eight teenage boys who snuck onto the track after hours and hit a concrete gate partway down their ride. The other six suffered injuries ranging from minor to life-altering.
The names of the other boys are Eric and Wilson Schultz, Danny Spalding, Caleb Hettinga, David Carr and Mark Lyons.
The Schultz brothers from Wetaskiwin are the final crash victims to be identified, with Wilson believed to have a broken ankle and his brother physically unharmed.
From what's known, Hettinga is the most seriously injured of the six injured teens, losing an eye and facing multiple surgeries.
Trauma
The tragedy has captivated the city and caused ripples of trauma for friends, family and first responders.
"I mean we've all been through some bad experiences, but this has got to be — I mean to be covered in your friends blood, watch them die — ... horribly traumatizing. We're all just trying to give him space and time to come into the realization," said Spalding's cousin Matthew Kessler.
Spalding's sister took to her Facebook page to talk about the pain of that night.
"I'll never forget Feb. 6, 2016, the panicked 1:30 a.m. phone call I got from Danny, urging me to get Dad and hurry to COP, where him and 7 of his closest friends were in the midst of a tragedy that I am still unable to fully comprehend," she wrote.
The Caldwell twins were both straight-A students who volunteered and were active within their schools and their church, according to their family,
Churchgoers
Committed churgoers, the Caldwell family, as well as several of the crash victims, attended the Rocky Mountain Calvary Chapel.
Although organized by the Calvary Chapel, Thursday's public funeral will be held at the Centre Street Church in order to accommodate the expected crowds.
"We like to be a church in the community, and for the community, and we're happy to be helping in a time of need like this and to be a place where many can come and to celebrate and honour the lives of Evan and Jordan Caldwell," said Centre Street Church spokesperson Pamela Aramburu.
The memorial begins at 1 p.m.
