'We need to forgive'
ELGIN – Earstin Whitten recalled Sunday how his daughter, who had impaired vision, could identify him by just by hearing his footsteps when he arrived home, sparking laugher and a smile.
"She would hear my feet and know it was me," he said.
Earstin Whitten recalled this and other fond memories of his daughter, Nyakiambi, during her memorial service Sunday, attended by more than 300 people, at The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Elgin.
Betty Whitten, faces murder charges in the stabbing death. Police say she could have been reacting to the pressures of caring for a disabled person. Nyakiambi had cerebral palsy and was developmentally disabled.
But those disabilities did not hinder Nyakiambi's smile or her love of the church, Earstin Whitten and church elder Tom Parr told the standing room-only crowd.
"Yes, she is special, and she taught us a lot," Earstin Whitten said. "She had love in her heart that was larger than you can imagine."
He also spoke of his wife, and his need to forgive.
"Some may wonder how I feel about my wife," he said before reading passages speaking of forgiveness from the Bible.
"You should forgive so much that you lose count of how many times," he said. "We need to forgive and go on."
Many in the crowd shed tears as Earstin Whitten read from the Bible and told of a story from Nyakiambi's childhood that included his wife, who now sits in Kane County Jail.
"The outcome I do not know, but my goal is to make sure [Betty] gets the help she needs," he said, his voice breaking. "And that is good advice for all of us."
Earstin Whitten, who is a devout Jehovah's witness, said he looks forward to meeting his daughter again some day. In his religion, reincarnation is a common theme.
He said if Nyakiambi asks how she died, he will tell her "that's really not important. What is important is that you are back."
Whitten also quipped he hoped to learn how to make mashed potatoes and peas to his daughter's liking.
"No matter how well I cooked, I could not get her liking mashed potatoes and peas," he said.
After the service, visitors consoled Earstin Whitten and other family members.
A lined formed to view a poster with photographs of Nyakiambi at all ages, displayed at the front of the church.
Throughout his speech, Whitten spoke of his need to move on, despite the pain.
"We cannot change the past and it is very painful, but we must go on," he said. "We must learn from it and grow stronger."
By KATE THAYER
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Here we have a media 'puff' piece that presents Jehovah's Witnesses as (1) a benevolent forgiving creed,when they are really ruthless and belligerent with their own dissidents.
(2) They believe in 'quickie' "reincarnation" and that their loved ones will return and be back soon any day.The fallout from this will be when the millions of Jehovah's Witnesses who haven't fully and properly mourn their dead loved ones will horrified to accept that loved ones are gone for good and the Watchtower "resurrection any minute fantasy" was all a LIE!