Father Was At Church At Time Of Amish Home Explosion; Mother & 6 Children Laid To Rest Today

We have more details this week following Sunday’s deadly explosion and fire at an Amish home in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, which killed mother Sarah Stoltzfus, 34, and her six children, aged 2 to 11. We’ve also got information at bottom on how to help.

Amish community member David Stoltzfus is the husband and father. It’s not really thinkable to place yourself in the shoes of someone who lost his entire family in one fell swoop. That’s another way of saying it’s near impossible to imagine what he might be going through at this time.

David Stoltzfus Was At Church When The Blast & Fire Happened

David was the only one in the family not at home when the suspected propane leak blast and fire occurred. That’s because he was at a church meeting less than a mile from home, “when church members began to hear about the explosion and made their way over to see what had happened” as reported by Penn Live. He arrived to find his home fully consumed by flames.

A note on why David may have been at church, while his family remained at home. The Amish typically hold church in their respective districts once every two weeks. On the intervening “off” Sunday, families may stay at home, hold devotions with the family, or visit other church services – for example in neighboring districts, or at a relative’s home.

That may have been what David was doing while his family stayed at home on their “off” Sunday. Another possibility: David may be a minister, which may have given him another reason for visiting another service.

The Home Was Gone In 10 Minutes

A neighbor told Penn Live that the house was gone within 10 minutes of the explosion: “It was so quick. There was no hope of getting in.” They add this description:

On Monday all that remained of the family’s frame house was a pile of charred wood behind a row of small evergreen trees and line of police tape. A pink bicycle leaned against a detached garage, which was not damaged in the fire.

The investigation remains ongoing, and no official cause has been released. But state police believe an interior propane tank leak may have caused the blast. The exterior propane tanks outside the home did not explode.

Sarah Stoltzfus and Six Children Laid To Rest Wednesday

On Wednesday, a procession of buggies carried the bodies of Sarah and her six children to East End Cemetery in Salona, PA, as reported by the Lock Haven Express:

SALONA — A quiet procession of seven horse-drawn buggies carried the bodies of Sarah Stoltzfus, 34, and her six children to their final resting place Wednesday, three days after they were killed in a fast-moving house fire.

The seven victims of one of the deadliest fires in Clinton County’s recent memory were buried in East End Cemetery, surrounded by mourning members of their Amish community.

The burial followed a lengthy visitation at a nearby farm in Lamar Township. Auction Road, where the visitation took place, was closed between noon and 2 p.m. to accommodate mourners and the funeral procession.

Members of the media were asked to observe from a distance. This photo below, via the Lock Haven Express, was taken of the cemetery from a distance, prior to the funeral.

The story has drawn national and international attention, appearing at ABC, the BBC, and the New York Times, among others. Hopefully that attention will help generate support from outside the community for husband and father David Stoltzfus. More on that now.

Helping David Stoltzfus: Community Comes Together; How Outsiders Can Help

David’s brother Samuel Stoltzfus has noted to Penn Live that the Amish community has come together to support the family. That is of course the way of things in tightly-knit communities and the Amish are an exceptional example of that kind of support.

I don’t know what David Stoltzfus does as a profession, but he’s probably got people to help out with chores and anything else he needs. If he, is or were a farmer, people would be over doing the milking for him, for example.

For those outside the community wishing to help, a donation box will be available at the Old School Market, 34 East End Mountain Road, Mill Hall, on April 24 and 25.

But if you’re not local, you can still contribute, according to the report at Penn Live and a notice posted by the Old School Market Facebook page. Checks can be made payable to the David Stoltzfus Fund and mailed to: David Stoltzfus Fund, First National Bank, PO Box 35, Loganton, PA 17747.

Get the Amish in your inbox

Join 15,000 email subscribers. No spam. 100% free

 

 

 

Subscribe