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 goodbye to Cyrus
Belt. There were about 80 people who gathered around his tiny, white coffin
to say goodbye 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 grand-
children 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
For information about preventing
child abuse in the state of Hawaii, click the links below. If they can't
help you, ask for someone who can. NEVER give up looking for help
for an abused child!
Call this number to report
child abuse ANY WHERE in the United States!
1-800-4-A-Child
1-800-422-4453
  
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