The first day of the joint funeral for Liam Gazzo Harris Parks, 1, his older sister, Isis Gabriela Centeno Parks, 6, and Liam’s older brother and twin to Isis, Oseas Gael Centeno Parks, 6, was held in the Mott Haven section of The Bronx on Tuesday, May 26. As reported, all three children tragically died following a residential fire in the Fordham Manor section of The Bronx on Monday, May 11. Meanwhile a GoFundMe page has been set up to help fund the cost of the funeral and other expenses.

 

The three young siblings, who lived at 2609 Bainbridge Avenue, were laid out in matching white and light blue clothes, Isis in a white dress and light blue cardigan, Liam in a white suit with a light blue shirt, and Oseas, also in a white suit, light blue shirt and a light yellow tie. Liam’s father, Mr. Harris, later explained the significance of the chosen colors to Norwood News, saying the blue represented the sky and the white, purity and innocence, adding that they now saw their children as angels.

Affixed to Oseas casket was a notice from LiveOnNY, the organization which coordinates organ donation across New York State, informing mourners that, as reported, the little boy had saved the lives of three people through the donation of some of his organs. The funeral continued on Wednesday at Woodlawn Cemetery, north of Norwood.

 

Norwood News spoke to one of the children’s uncles in the hallway of the funeral home on May 26 and asked how the family were coping. “As you can hear, my mother and my grandmother [are] there and they’re screaming,” the heartbroken man said.

 

Several matriarchal-type women were earlier seen in close proximity to the caskets comforting the chief mourners, one of whom appeared to be the children’s grandmother or possibly a great grandmother and who appeared visibly and audibly inconsolable. One of the women was seen embracing her and was heard saying something to the effect of, “Let it all out,” as the older woman cried out.

“It’s a tremendous loss for the Harris family,” the children’s uncle continued. He paused, sighed, and continued, adding, “It’s just we were hoping and praying that at least two could survive, or one could survive even.” As reported, Liam was the first to die followed by Isis a few days later, and then Oseas a few days afterwards. According to two sources we spoke to, the young family had already tragically lost at least one other child prior to the fire.

 

The children’s uncle continued, “And then, we hear that no survivor and it’s very tragic and also, lost for words because somehow it just cannot be explained. This grief is very deep, especially for the mother. Losing three children at the same time, it’s very hard. We were hoping and praying that the divine God could intervene in her and give her the strength to endure in this stage and hopefully go to a stage of healing.”

Asked how the children’s other siblings were coping, the children’s uncle said, “Oh, they’re not doing well. They’re very devastated. Imagine seeing them on a day-to-day basis, greeting them, and having a relation with them and all of a sudden, they’re emotionless. That’s a grief I would not wish on my worst enemy at this point. It’s very hard.”

 

Asked if he wanted to describe the children’s personalities, the children’s uncle tried to smile and said, “Well, they were very rambunctious, especially Liam. He enjoyed life. He enjoyed playing with his siblings. He enjoyed watching TV, just a normal one-year-old toddler, so.. Isis, same thing, you know.”

He sighed deeply again. “They loved going to school,” he continued. “That day, they didn’t go to school. That’s something that they enjoyed doing and it’s just unfortunate that they won’t be able to experience life.”

 

A funeral wreath sent from P.S. 54, the school Isis and Oseas attended, was seen at the funeral along with an accompanying card / message that read, “Each of your beautiful children brought immense light and joy to this world. While we cherish Isis and Oseas in our hallways and classrooms, our entire P.S. 54 community also wrapped Baby Liam in our love. The laughter, warmth and bright spirits they all shared deeply touched our teachers, staff and students and they will always remain a cherished part of our school family.”

Other wreaths also lined the area around the caskets and elsewhere. As reported, before the FDNY arrived at the fire scene on May 11, the family’s brave neighbor, Jaime Cuevas Ventura, accompanied the children’s mother to the second floor apartment door of the home on the day of the fire and tried to enter the apartment but the smoke overwhelmed them.

 

Cuevas Ventura, a gunshot victim with an injured leg, later climbed up the back of the building and entered a neighboring apartment where a mother and child, neighbors of the Parks/Harris family, were sleeping and woke them up and helped them escape out the back window. Read more here.

 

Outside Ortiz Funeral Home on Southern Boulevard, various family members and friends were seen wearing white t-shirts with a photo of the three children displayed on the front. One person said about 45 people had traveled to New York [from Virginia, we understand, and elsewhere] for the funeral.

We also spoke to one of the children’s cousins who went by the nickname, Big Yoyo, and asked if she wanted to say anything about the children or describe their personalities. “Yeah, the only thing I want to say is that I really did enjoy my time with them, especially since I knew them since they were born,” she said. “I’ve been there. Yeah, that’s my mom’s sister. I’m going to miss them. They were fun and I always used to play with the little boy. They liked to sing and dance. They liked to play around. The baby, his favorite color was green.”

 

The cause of the fire is still under investigation according to the FDNY.

 

Liam’s father said Wednesday, June 3, is the last day that the family will receive emergency hotel accommodation, and told Norwood News he would be grateful for any help the public can offer in terms of helping the family with future accommodation. Anyone wishing to contribute to the GoFundMe page can do so here.

 

A representative from LiveOnNY, who was also in attendance at the funeral, told Norwood News she heard one of the mourners say of the children’s mother, “She’ll cry forever.”

 

To learn more about organ donation in New York State, visit https://www.liveonny.org/.

 

Click here to read FDNY’s fire safety tips. “During a fire, always close the door behind you!” fire officials say. “It helps contain smoke and flames, giving you precious time to escape.”

 

Meanwhile, the firehouse located on Briggs Avenue in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx, which was the site of a fire on Thursday, March 26, was still closed on May 13, an FDNY employee informed Norwood News, when we passed by the building. Ladder Company 37 is reportedly operating from another location pending the reopening of the firehouse. Fourteen firefighters were injured during the fire, some hospitalized and later released from Jacobi hospital.