Private vigil commemorates boy killed in fire

by STAN STRICKER ( Contact ) Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Neighbors and relatives gathered at a private vigil Monday evening to remember seven-year-old Derek Mattingly, who was killed in a weekend fire in Janesville.

Next-door neighbor Sheila Miller says she remembers Derek loved to go everywhere with his grandmother. She says whenever he heard his grandmother start her car, he would run down the stairs to be with her. Miller says her husband will especially miss Derek. Her husband would take their Dobermans out near the side of the house and Derek would come over to play with the dogs.

Dozens of friends gathered at the vigil in front of the burned-out shell of 327 North Palm Street. Janesville fire officials are citing the property owner for not providing proper smoke detection in the house.

Before you post a comment, consider this:

Note: WCLO.com does not condone or review every comment. Read more in our User Policy Agreement

Keep it clean. Comments that are obscene, vulgar or sexually oriented will be removed. Creative spelling of such terms or implied use of such language is banned, also.
Don't threaten to hurt or kill anyone.
Be nice. No racism, sexism or any other sort of -ism that degrades another person.
Harassing comments. If you are the subject of a harassing comment or personal attack by another user, do not respond in-kind. Hit the "Suggest Removal" button on offensive comments.
Share what you know. Give us your eyewitness accounts, background, observations and history.
Do not libel anyone. Libel is writing something false about someone that damages that person's reputation.
Ask questions. What more do you want to know about the story?
Stay focused. Keep on the story's topic.
Help us get it right. If you spot a factual error or misspelling, email programming@wclo.com or call 608-752-7895.
Remember, this is our site. We set the rules, and we reserve the right to remove any comments that we deem inappropriate.

Post Comment

Commenting requires registration.

News:

Sports:

Stan Milam Show:

Podcasts | Blog | Show Schedule | Archives

Programs:

Schedule | Syndicated | News & Commentary | Lifestyle & Entertainment | Sports

Participate:

Copyright ©2007 Bliss Communications Inc. All rights reserved. Use of this material and this site are subject to the WCLO Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Content may not be published, broadcast, re-distributed or re-written.

75°