Josephine “Josie” Beauchane Corsello shared heartbreaking memories Friday of her three babies.
Jayden Corsello, 2, was a little firecracker, she said. His twin, Kayden, attached to his nana’s hip.
Xander, their 1-year-old brother, was the happiest baby ever.
“They were so beautiful,” said Beauchane Corsello, holding back tears as she spoke at the funeral service for the three boys, who died as a result of a Carpentersville house fire on March 30. “I was so grateful to be their mother.”
The service was held at Fox Valley Baptist Church in East Dundee. The Rev. Phil Zilinski officiated.
Jayden and Xander died during the fire at their home in the 1700 block of Kingston Circle, and Kayden a day later at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
The community rallied around the family, and helped raise the money for the services and burials through the nonprofit Taste the Love, based in West Dundee.
Photos of the boys and three bouquets of blue flowers held together with wooden wings were on display. A blue box engraved with their three names was surrounded by stuffed animals and three cellophane-wrapped Easter buckets.
“I wish so much this never happened,” Beauchane Corsello said. “This is devastating.”
Her house is empty now, she said. She misses chasing after the toddlers, picking up toys, changing dirty diapers and feeding hungry children. “It’s all gone in just a second,” she said. “It still feels so unreal.”
The boys’ two grandfathers, Michael Beauchane and Daniel Corsello, also spoke at the service.
“Jayden’s smile could light up the darkest of days,” Michael Beauchane said. “Kayden was incredibly smart.”
The two had their own secret twin language they were teaching Xander, he said. “Xander was the happiest baby I’ve ever known,” he said.
They were typical toddlers, especially in their love of getting into cupboards and taking everything out, he said.
“They did it with a speed even Superman would envy,” Beauchane said.
“No matter how bad my day was, it was instantly cured coming home” and seeing his grandchildren, whom he called his “little birds,” he said. “In that instance, all my troubles would melt away, replaced by their infectious laughter,” he said.
Daniel Corsello called the trio the light of their family’s lives. His heart has been broken in ways he’s never knew was possible since their deaths, he said.
“As a grandfather, I was blessed beyond measure to witness their innocence, their curiosity and their boundless love,” Corsello said. “They each had their way of making the world a little better. Their time with us was far too short, (but) their impact was immeasurable.”
Speaking directly to his son, D’Artaganan, he said, “You carry a pain no parent should ever know. … You are their father and always will be.”
To Josie, his daughter-in-law, he said, “I see the pain in your eyes but also see a fierce strength in your heart. Every breath you take, every step forward, even on the hardest day, is a testament to the depth of your love, strength and spirit.”
In his sermon, Zilinski said the death of a child is something that “shouldn’t happen. A child should live, breathe, play and grow.”
The Bible teaches that children go to heaven — “Let the little children come to me” — a thought he hoped would be of comfort to the grieving family, he said.
“God is taking care of your little ones,” Zilinski said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
