On January 24, 2008, people gathered
at the Nuuanu
Memorial Park And Mortuary to pay their respects to Cyrus. Hundreds of
people were there, where there was an open casket ceremony to say
good bye
to Cyrus. There were more than 200 people who attended the service, the
pews were filled, some were standing outside or sitting on chairs
outside
the chapel.
"I cannot believe that's him. I
used to watch
him. He was a happy kid"
Tanya Tafu
More than 200 people stayed for the
service, filling
pews, standing outside or sitting on folding chairs flanking the
chapel.
It is clear that Cyrus will not be forgotten. Linda Kalopodes said she
visits the memorial for Cyrus, on the Miller Street pedestrian
overpass,
every day:
"I just feel a kindred spirit
with this child.
Everybody loves him, and I know I'll never forget him"
This woman sang at the service for
Cyrus.
A line at the chapel stretched clear
out the door
as people waited to view Cyrus in his small, white coffin. Many of the
people there would walk away in tears after seeing him. Nancy was in
tears
throughout the service. There were three firefighters in attendance who
had been the ones to respond to the emergency call the day Cyrus died.
Engine 6 Captain Greg Ikeda said that the stress on him psychologically
did not hit him right away, it took a few days. He had been seeing the
story on the news constantly:
"It replays over and over.
Watching the news,
this is one of the times I could not hold back
the tears. We just felt like
coming to the
service. It would help us emotionally"
Lilo Asiata, a grandfather to Cyrus
said:
"I really can't express how
overwhelming it
is, the love and support. This is more than I expected"
The father of Cyrus, David Belt, had
been in prison
for the last year. David was granted a temporary release so that he
could
attend the services for his son. He was brought to the chapel in
handcuffs
before the service began.
Nancy said that David took the death
of his son very
hard and that she was glad to see him there at the service:
"I feel his pain because
he came all
the way here to visit his dead son"
Shar Ah Yun, a grandmother of Cyrus,
who had lived
with the family a few times said she was happy to see Cyrus one last
time.
Through tears she said:
"He was my grandson"
Shar Ah Yun said that she was worried
about Nancy
because the stated had release Child Welfare Services records that were
raising questions about her parenting skills and her drug use in the
past:
"Nancy was a good mother. She
overcompensated.
There were times that she wasn't here
and we took care of him. Never was
he neglected"
It was cold and windy that day
and the sky
was cloudy. Family, friends and even strangers came to say good bye to
Cyrus
Belt. There were about 80 people who gathered around his tiny, white
coffin
to say good-bye and to honor him. The funeral of this little Angel
would
bring closure to many who had been upset by what had happened.
At the foot of his coffin were three
bouquets roses,
as well as other wreaths and flowers. A teddy bear, a stuffed giraffe
and
other toys were always there at his grave site which is located in a
section
that is reserved for young children, called Babyland 2.
For just a moment after the service,
the sun came
out while mothers held their children tight and people huddled together
as dozens of colorful pigeons were released as a symbol of freedom and
peace.
The family asked to be left alone as
the coffin was
buried. Nancy put a bouquet of flowers on his grave, after the funeral
was over. Cyrus was buried in Hawaiian Memorial Park in Kane'ohe.
Leaning
on her father as she walked away from the grave, Nancy had tears
in her
eyes. The only comments she made were to thank everyone for the support
they had given her which included donations of the grave plot, the
service
and the pigeons.
Many people were touched by the loss
of Cyrus and
came to pay their respects to him. Lisa Almeda said she came because
she
has grandchildren of her own and the loss hit her hard. Shyenne
Schuster
said she had stayed home since the killing because she couldn't stand
the
thought of leaving her nine month old son in the care of anyone else:
"It's just emotional. I don't
want to take
him to a baby sitter. You can't trust nobody nowadays"
Shyenne said that at first, she was
upset and grieved
alone, until she met Lisa Belt, an aunt of Cyrus:
"Lisa brought a lot of comfort
to me"
Lisa said that families are sticking
together, helping
each other to cope with the loss of Cyrus:
"I'm still trying to grasp
what's happening.
It's surreal for me. I can't imagine this really happened"
Pastor Claudio Borge commented before
the service
about the media and how they had been a scrutinizing the family:
"We need to extend love and
forgiveness. Let
the message of love and forgiveness, Father,
sink into the hearts of the people
here that
they may understand what love and forgiveness
is all about"
Return
To Cyrus's Story
Read
About Memorials And The Funeral For Cyrus
Read
A Timeline Of Events Surrounding The life Of Cyrus
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