Oct 24, 2006 (The Daily Oklahoman - McClatchy-Tribune Business News via COMTEX) -- WHITEBEAD -- Students at Whitebead School said goodbye Monday to the three Landers children, who were shot and killed last week by their father before he set his rural home on fire and turned the gun on himself.
The children, Jay Dee Landers Jr. 8, Derrick Landers, 6, and Katana Landers, 4, were all students at the small K-8 school in rural Garvin County. Parents of students of all ages streamed into the gray and maroon brick school building, while students lined up outside the gym holding a handout with pictures of the three redheaded children on one side and the words from "Goodnight Moon," by Margaret Wise Brown on the other side.
"And a special goodnight to Katana, Derrick and Jay Dee," the handout said.
Bad dreams haunt
The small school sits between horse and cattle farms and expansive stretches of farmland. In a school of about 400 students, most know each other and their parents do, too.
Students at Whitebead were let out of school a day early for fall break last week after the shootings on Oct. 17. The Landers children and their mother had moved out of Jay Landers' home the weekend before.
The schoolchildren returned to classes Monday and spent about 30 minutes honoring the Landers children with music and presentations. Some parents hadn't told their young children how the Landers children died. Others simply said they died in a house fire.
Elisa Martinez's 5-year-old daughter is still trying to understand what happened to her classmate Derrick.
"She misses him a lot. She cries sometimes," Martinez said. "Sometimes when she's riding in the car, she doesn't want to listen to music. She says, 'Don't play music, because I'm sad.'"
Bad dreams have haunted Tisha Smith's son since his classmates were killed.
"Derrick was his best friend at school. They used to pal around," Smith said. "But I think the school is handling this really well."
She'll need a lot of help
Meanwhile, the community has rallied around Misty Landers as she prepares to bury her children and husband. Funeral services for all four will be this afternoon in Pauls Valley. The children will be buried in donated caskets, and clothing and funds have been set up at area banks to help Misty Landers, said Perla Martinez-Goody, associate pastor at Pauls Valley Methodist Church.
"Life as she has known it has essentially changed," Martinez-Goody said. "She's doing much better, but I think it's going to hit her later. It's very overwhelming for her. It will hit her eventually, and I think she will need a lot of help when that happens."
People have donated clothing and furniture. Retail stores have offered to help her, as well. In a statement issued last week, Misty Landers said she forgave her husband and wanted him to be remembered as a good father.
"We have no idea what its like to lose a child, even if it is from natural causes," Martinez-Goody said. "This is a very, very sad thing she will have to go through. It's by the grace of God that she has caring friends here who are willing to help her."
*************** Obit ***********
Jay Dee Landers, Sr., of Pauls Valley was born February 15, 1971 in Tulare, California to J. D. and Linda Landers.
He passed away October 17, 2006 at Pauls Valley, Oklahoma at the age of 35 years.
Jay Dee was married to Misty R. Berry in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 3, 2003.
He had worked at the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in Pauls Valley for the past ten years.
Surviving family include his wife, Misty of Pauls Valley; 1 son, Jay D. Grant of Visalia, California; 1 brother, Galen Landers of Farmersville, California; 1 sister, Tammy Landers of Tulare, California; his mother, Linda Landers of California; 2 uncles, Dennis Johnson of Pauls Valley and David Johnson of Arkansas.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, October 24, 2006 at 2:00 pm at First United Methodist Church. Interment will be at the Whitebead Cemetery under the direction of Stufflebean-Coffey Funeral Home.
The children, Jay Dee Landers Jr. 8, Derrick Landers, 6, and Katana Landers, 4, were all students at the small K-8 school in rural Garvin County. Parents of students of all ages streamed into the gray and maroon brick school building, while students lined up outside the gym holding a handout with pictures of the three redheaded children on one side and the words from "Goodnight Moon," by Margaret Wise Brown on the other side.
"And a special goodnight to Katana, Derrick and Jay Dee," the handout said.
Bad dreams haunt
The small school sits between horse and cattle farms and expansive stretches of farmland. In a school of about 400 students, most know each other and their parents do, too.
Students at Whitebead were let out of school a day early for fall break last week after the shootings on Oct. 17. The Landers children and their mother had moved out of Jay Landers' home the weekend before.
The schoolchildren returned to classes Monday and spent about 30 minutes honoring the Landers children with music and presentations. Some parents hadn't told their young children how the Landers children died. Others simply said they died in a house fire.
Elisa Martinez's 5-year-old daughter is still trying to understand what happened to her classmate Derrick.
"She misses him a lot. She cries sometimes," Martinez said. "Sometimes when she's riding in the car, she doesn't want to listen to music. She says, 'Don't play music, because I'm sad.'"
Bad dreams have haunted Tisha Smith's son since his classmates were killed.
"Derrick was his best friend at school. They used to pal around," Smith said. "But I think the school is handling this really well."
She'll need a lot of help
Meanwhile, the community has rallied around Misty Landers as she prepares to bury her children and husband. Funeral services for all four will be this afternoon in Pauls Valley. The children will be buried in donated caskets, and clothing and funds have been set up at area banks to help Misty Landers, said Perla Martinez-Goody, associate pastor at Pauls Valley Methodist Church.
"Life as she has known it has essentially changed," Martinez-Goody said. "She's doing much better, but I think it's going to hit her later. It's very overwhelming for her. It will hit her eventually, and I think she will need a lot of help when that happens."
People have donated clothing and furniture. Retail stores have offered to help her, as well. In a statement issued last week, Misty Landers said she forgave her husband and wanted him to be remembered as a good father.
"We have no idea what its like to lose a child, even if it is from natural causes," Martinez-Goody said. "This is a very, very sad thing she will have to go through. It's by the grace of God that she has caring friends here who are willing to help her."
*************** Obit ***********
Jay Dee Landers, Sr., of Pauls Valley was born February 15, 1971 in Tulare, California to J. D. and Linda Landers.
He passed away October 17, 2006 at Pauls Valley, Oklahoma at the age of 35 years.
Jay Dee was married to Misty R. Berry in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 3, 2003.
He had worked at the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in Pauls Valley for the past ten years.
Surviving family include his wife, Misty of Pauls Valley; 1 son, Jay D. Grant of Visalia, California; 1 brother, Galen Landers of Farmersville, California; 1 sister, Tammy Landers of Tulare, California; his mother, Linda Landers of California; 2 uncles, Dennis Johnson of Pauls Valley and David Johnson of Arkansas.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, October 24, 2006 at 2:00 pm at First United Methodist Church. Interment will be at the Whitebead Cemetery under the direction of Stufflebean-Coffey Funeral Home.
Oct 24, 2006 (The Daily Oklahoman - McClatchy-Tribune Business News via COMTEX) -- WHITEBEAD -- Students at Whitebead School said goodbye Monday to the three Landers children, who were shot and killed last week by their father before he set his rural home on fire and turned the gun on himself.
The children, Jay Dee Landers Jr. 8, Derrick Landers, 6, and Katana Landers, 4, were all students at the small K-8 school in rural Garvin County. Parents of students of all ages streamed into the gray and maroon brick school building, while students lined up outside the gym holding a handout with pictures of the three redheaded children on one side and the words from "Goodnight Moon," by Margaret Wise Brown on the other side.
"And a special goodnight to Katana, Derrick and Jay Dee," the handout said.
Bad dreams haunt
The small school sits between horse and cattle farms and expansive stretches of farmland. In a school of about 400 students, most know each other and their parents do, too.
Students at Whitebead were let out of school a day early for fall break last week after the shootings on Oct. 17. The Landers children and their mother had moved out of Jay Landers' home the weekend before.
The schoolchildren returned to classes Monday and spent about 30 minutes honoring the Landers children with music and presentations. Some parents hadn't told their young children how the Landers children died. Others simply said they died in a house fire.
Elisa Martinez's 5-year-old daughter is still trying to understand what happened to her classmate Derrick.
"She misses him a lot. She cries sometimes," Martinez said. "Sometimes when she's riding in the car, she doesn't want to listen to music. She says, 'Don't play music, because I'm sad.'"
Bad dreams have haunted Tisha Smith's son since his classmates were killed.
"Derrick was his best friend at school. They used to pal around," Smith said. "But I think the school is handling this really well."
She'll need a lot of help
Meanwhile, the community has rallied around Misty Landers as she prepares to bury her children and husband. Funeral services for all four will be this afternoon in Pauls Valley. The children will be buried in donated caskets, and clothing and funds have been set up at area banks to help Misty Landers, said Perla Martinez-Goody, associate pastor at Pauls Valley Methodist Church.
"Life as she has known it has essentially changed," Martinez-Goody said. "She's doing much better, but I think it's going to hit her later. It's very overwhelming for her. It will hit her eventually, and I think she will need a lot of help when that happens."
People have donated clothing and furniture. Retail stores have offered to help her, as well. In a statement issued last week, Misty Landers said she forgave her husband and wanted him to be remembered as a good father.
"We have no idea what its like to lose a child, even if it is from natural causes," Martinez-Goody said. "This is a very, very sad thing she will have to go through. It's by the grace of God that she has caring friends here who are willing to help her."
*************** Obit ***********
Jay Dee Landers, Sr., of Pauls Valley was born February 15, 1971 in Tulare, California to J. D. and Linda Landers.
He passed away October 17, 2006 at Pauls Valley, Oklahoma at the age of 35 years.
Jay Dee was married to Misty R. Berry in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 3, 2003.
He had worked at the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in Pauls Valley for the past ten years.
Surviving family include his wife, Misty of Pauls Valley; 1 son, Jay D. Grant of Visalia, California; 1 brother, Galen Landers of Farmersville, California; 1 sister, Tammy Landers of Tulare, California; his mother, Linda Landers of California; 2 uncles, Dennis Johnson of Pauls Valley and David Johnson of Arkansas.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, October 24, 2006 at 2:00 pm at First United Methodist Church. Interment will be at the Whitebead Cemetery under the direction of Stufflebean-Coffey Funeral Home.
The children, Jay Dee Landers Jr. 8, Derrick Landers, 6, and Katana Landers, 4, were all students at the small K-8 school in rural Garvin County. Parents of students of all ages streamed into the gray and maroon brick school building, while students lined up outside the gym holding a handout with pictures of the three redheaded children on one side and the words from "Goodnight Moon," by Margaret Wise Brown on the other side.
"And a special goodnight to Katana, Derrick and Jay Dee," the handout said.
Bad dreams haunt
The small school sits between horse and cattle farms and expansive stretches of farmland. In a school of about 400 students, most know each other and their parents do, too.
Students at Whitebead were let out of school a day early for fall break last week after the shootings on Oct. 17. The Landers children and their mother had moved out of Jay Landers' home the weekend before.
The schoolchildren returned to classes Monday and spent about 30 minutes honoring the Landers children with music and presentations. Some parents hadn't told their young children how the Landers children died. Others simply said they died in a house fire.
Elisa Martinez's 5-year-old daughter is still trying to understand what happened to her classmate Derrick.
"She misses him a lot. She cries sometimes," Martinez said. "Sometimes when she's riding in the car, she doesn't want to listen to music. She says, 'Don't play music, because I'm sad.'"
Bad dreams have haunted Tisha Smith's son since his classmates were killed.
"Derrick was his best friend at school. They used to pal around," Smith said. "But I think the school is handling this really well."
She'll need a lot of help
Meanwhile, the community has rallied around Misty Landers as she prepares to bury her children and husband. Funeral services for all four will be this afternoon in Pauls Valley. The children will be buried in donated caskets, and clothing and funds have been set up at area banks to help Misty Landers, said Perla Martinez-Goody, associate pastor at Pauls Valley Methodist Church.
"Life as she has known it has essentially changed," Martinez-Goody said. "She's doing much better, but I think it's going to hit her later. It's very overwhelming for her. It will hit her eventually, and I think she will need a lot of help when that happens."
People have donated clothing and furniture. Retail stores have offered to help her, as well. In a statement issued last week, Misty Landers said she forgave her husband and wanted him to be remembered as a good father.
"We have no idea what its like to lose a child, even if it is from natural causes," Martinez-Goody said. "This is a very, very sad thing she will have to go through. It's by the grace of God that she has caring friends here who are willing to help her."
*************** Obit ***********
Jay Dee Landers, Sr., of Pauls Valley was born February 15, 1971 in Tulare, California to J. D. and Linda Landers.
He passed away October 17, 2006 at Pauls Valley, Oklahoma at the age of 35 years.
Jay Dee was married to Misty R. Berry in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 3, 2003.
He had worked at the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in Pauls Valley for the past ten years.
Surviving family include his wife, Misty of Pauls Valley; 1 son, Jay D. Grant of Visalia, California; 1 brother, Galen Landers of Farmersville, California; 1 sister, Tammy Landers of Tulare, California; his mother, Linda Landers of California; 2 uncles, Dennis Johnson of Pauls Valley and David Johnson of Arkansas.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, October 24, 2006 at 2:00 pm at First United Methodist Church. Interment will be at the Whitebead Cemetery under the direction of Stufflebean-Coffey Funeral Home.
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