'We found you, and we loved you:' Sioux Falls rallies for infant found at recycling center

On Aug. 6, Gabriel James Doe had no one.

"And look at the family he has now,” said Pastor Travis Remme, one of the officiants at Wednesday’s Service of Remembrance for the infant who was found deceased at Millennium Recycling in Sioux Falls.

More: Sioux Falls Police investigating infant death at recycling center

The funeral, where there were about 180 community members, was held at the Miller Funeral Home - Southside Chapel , as well as live streamed online . The ceremony was followed by the burial at Hills of Rest Cemetery . Visitation was held 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday and drew about 200 people who came to pay their respects.

As of Wednesday morning, there had been no new developments in the status of the investigation into how the child arrived at the recycling center, Sioux Falls Police Department spokesperson Sam Clemens said. Little is known about where the child came from and how he arrived at the facility.

Yet, Manager and Funeral Director Matthew Koball said it’s a standing tradition at the Miller Funeral Home to provide free services for any child age 17 and younger.

“It's a trying time anytime someone loses your child; it's not the natural order,” Koball said. “It's really the least we could do to give back to the community because it's the right thing to do.”

Koball said he deeply feels the traumatic and heartbreaking grief parents of infant loss endure because he and his wife lost two little ones themselves.

“We, unfortunately, do a lot of little one funerals, but nothing quite like this," Koball said. "This, for me, is kind of the first."

Right away, Koball said the Miller Funeral Home received “tremendous outpouring and support from the community,” offering to help. Flowers were donated by The Flower Mill , and Avera McKennan volunteers made the infant’s outfit.

Still, Koball said, “the smallest caskets are the heaviest to carry.”

Attendees solemnly streamed into the chapel, where baby Gabriel was surrounded by flowers, teddy bears and toy cars. A single balloon, in the shape of a blue star floated among these tokens of remembrance and love.

Every seat was filled, with others standing toward the back and in an overflow area. Some were with young children on their hips, Gabriel’s new brothers and sisters. Their intermittent cries throughout the service echoed the emotions collectively shown by those who filled the chapel.

Tearful individuals wearing Millennium Recycling T-shirts were in attendance as well, but they declined to comment about the loss.

A large bouquet of wildflowers from the crew at the recycling center simply said, “We found you, and we loved you.”

Along with Remme, of The Rock Comunity Church in Rock Rapids, Iowa, and his wife Jessica Remme; Pastor Katherine, director of spiritual care at Dow Rummel Village, and Rev. John Helmueller, of the Diocese of Sioux Falls , helped lead the service.

“For a brief and fleeting moment, an angel with tiny wings and arrow and sweet, soft angel sounds blessing the lives of others in beauty and in grace. Those who saw the angel knew God had kissed his tiny face,” Jessica Remme spoke during the service. “An angel came for reasons we may not understand, a journey brief with gifts so great and guided by God's hand. So rest now, tiny Angel, your work on Earth is through in the beauty of God's perfect love, we sought His gift in you.”

Jessica Remme is also the founder of the Oaklyn Foundation , a nonprofit in honor of Jessica and Travis Remme’s daughter Oaklyn, who passed away Jan. 4, 2018, after postnatal complications. The organization aims to provide emotional, financial and educational assistance and support to families who experience the loss of an infant.

“After loss, there just isn't a lot of support for families. And so God placed this nonprofit on our hearts, and we've been blessed to give back to over 1,000 families in the United States and Canada since 2018,” Jessica Remme said. “Last August, we launched our funeral program, so we work alongside Miller and other funeral homes in the area to help pay for caskets and urns for those under the age of 16. Since launching that in August of last year, we've paid out over $46,000 worth of funeral costs for families.”

The Oaklyn Foundation contributed to funeral funds, along with the Angel Lee Cronin Memorial Fund .

Koball reached out to Jessica and Travis Remme asking the couple if they would do the honor of naming the child.

“Travis and I sat down and read some scripture, and Gabriel James spoke to us, and it was an absolute honor being able to give him a name,” Jessica Remme said.

Gabriel means “God is my strength,” and James depicts, “the one who follows.”

Jessica and Travis Remme said they were both utterly devastated when they heard the news of how the infant was found at the Sioux Falls recycling center.

“I mean, for me, specifically, as a mom who has lost a child, I know that pain," Jessica Remme said. "I can't even fathom what that mother must have been thinking or going through, or what her circumstances must be to feel like she didn’t have an option, or to just whatever it may be. It’s a reminder to check on your people.”

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The service closed with the congregation singing, “Jesus Loves Me,” as members of the Sioux Falls Police Department Honor Guard carried young Gabriel to his final resting place.

Attendees gathered under the sun’s glowing warmth, among the trees and green grass to give final farewells, with some knowing they would be returning sometime soon to pay a visit to Gabriel James.

“To know that he won't be alone, our family will come visit him,” Jessica Remme said. “He's a big part of our family now, and he won't sit here by himself. He will always be remembered.”

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: 'We found you, and we loved you:' Sioux Falls rallies for infant found at recycling center