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Purcellville toddler remembered
Friends and family gathered in the sanctuary of Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Purcellville July 16 to celebrate the life of Chase Dmitry Harrison.
Chase, 21 months, died July 8 in Herndon.
Born Oct. 1, 2006, in Russia, Chase was the son of Carol and Miles Harrison.
As mourners gathered, a soloist performed the Josh Groban song “You Raise Me Up.”
Indeed, Chase did raise up the lives of the people who knew him.
“It's not what we gave him but what he gave us,” said a family friend, who eulogized the smiley toddler with blond hair. The friend's name was not printed in the service bulletin.
Chase had been recently adopted into the Harrison family from Russia. The eulogist described how Chase would sit outside and let out a big belly laugh as he threw grass into the air and watched it blow.
A father of two grown children, he thanked Chase for giving him the opportunity to be around a joyful little boy once again.
The eulogist also spoke of the “unconditional love” Chase's parents had for him.
“To live in hearts you leave behind is not to die,” he said.
The eulogist read a letter written by Miles Harrison, who could not attend because he was hospitalized after Chase was found dead in his sport utility vehicle. Miles Harrison forgot to drop him off at daycare on the way to work.
The letter thanked everyone for their support and also addressed Chase.
“I want you to know how much I love you and how much I will always love you,” Miles Harrison wrote, saying Chase would “always be our perfect gift.”
He wrote of how he and Chase would sing together and how he would put Chase on his shoulders and march along to the Ohio State marching band.
Miles Harrison wrote to Chase that he hopes his son is part of the Ohio State fan club in heaven and that they let Chase lead the band.
Pictures in the church's vestibule showed Chase with each of his parents, all of their faces filled with joy.
On Wednesday, however, Carol Harrison's face was filled with pain as she said goodbye to her son. Friends and family stood next to her to help her in and out of the church.
During the homily, Father Michael Kelly spoke words of comfort for Chase's parents, urging them to “put themselves in the hands of God, and God will resolve them.”
He assured everyone that Chase is now among the angels in heaven.
“There is something in a child that knows our maker more than we do,” Kelly said.
The priest also urged the mourners to look forward to the time they will see Chase again in heaven.
“You will see the smile again, not for a moment, but forever,” Kelly said.
Chase was buried in Ebenezer Cemetery in Round Hill. Arrangements were by Hall Funeral Home of Purcellville.
Memorial donations may be sent to Project Sunshine, c/o European Adoption Consultants Inc., 12608 Alameda Drive, Strongsville, OH 44149.
Condolences may be expressed online at www.hallfh.com.
Contact the reporter at jwagoner@timespapers.com
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