UPPER EAST SIDE — The funeral for the parents and children of fashion ad executive Madonna Badger, who were killed in a tragic Christmas morning fire in Connecticut, will be held at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home on the Upper East Side, officials there confirmed.
Badger survived the blaze inside her Stamford, Conn. home, but her parents Lomer Johnson, 71; mother Pauline; and daughters Lily Badger, 9, and 7-year-old twins, Grace and Sarah Badger, did not.
The family will be waked at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel on Madison Avenue and 81st Street, some time next week, according to Dominic Carella, vice president of the funeral home.
Carella said the family lived in Manhattan prior to moving to Connecticut, and had a personal connection to the funeral chapel, which hosted prior funeral events for relatives.
"We’ve serviced the family before," he said.
He said that the plans are "still up in the air," but that the funerals for all five will be held at the Upper East Side funeral home next week.
The family is still deciding whether to hold the services together or hold a seperate funeral for the adults and the children, he said.
Each of the girls will be buried in a separate coffin, he added, saying that other details are still being decided. Some traditions at children's funerals include live doves or balloons being released into the air, he said.
Officials have reportedly blamed the out-of-control blaze on smoldering embers from the home's fireplace and they have been looking into whether there were sufficient smoke detectors in the home.
Johnson, who had dressed up as Santa Claus at Saks Fifth Avenue, and worked there on Christmas Eve, was found by firefighters on the roof. He was arm's reach from one of his granddaughters, who was on the other side of the window, according to the New York Post. Johnson's wife, Pauline, was found dead in a staircase between the second and third floor, the Post said.
The Connecticut medical examiner’s office said that Johnson died from blunt head and neck trauma and smoke inhalation. The others died of smoke inhalation, a rep there said.
The girls’ uncle, Campbell Badger, told the Times that funeral plans were being carefully arranged by the family to best honor the little girls.
"It has to be done right," he said.
He told the Associated Press Wednesday that his brother, Matthew Badger, was deeply devoted to his daughters.
"Matthew is devastated," he said. "He’s doing as best as can be expected under the circumstances."
