Funeral for Milwaukee pastor killed in crash: 'We will carry on'
MILWAUKEE - In the same church a Milwaukee pastor spent so much of his life, his own funeral service was held Wednesday, Oct. 19 – one week after his death.
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church downtown had overflow seating prepared ahead of the viewing and worship service for Pastor Aaron Strong. Prosecutors say he was hit and killed by a reckless driver.
"We’re only on this Earth a short time, some a few more years than others," said Pastor Jim Huebner with Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church.
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For seven years, you could often find Strong sharing his lifelong passion at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church.
"Baptized by his own dad as a little tiny baby, and his whole life he knew, believed and trusted that Jesus had paid for all his sins and he was going to die and be in heaven immediately upon death," said Huebner.
Aaron Strong
Death found the 40-year-old Strong more quickly than anyone could prepare for.
"You lose your husband, you lose your dad – this is a shock for anybody when it happens so rapidly," Huebner said. "We will carry on. It will be difficult. It’s not easy to fill a gap like that."
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Strong, a father of two, died in a car crash near 10th and Wells on Oct. 12. A 22-year-old man is charged with second-degree reckless homicide – accused of driving roughly 70 mph, running a red light and hitting Strong's car.
"I’m not paying that much attention to that. That’s in the hands of our wonderful authorities. I’m just concerned about the Strong family and how they’re doing," said Huebner.
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Milwaukee
Huebner, who worked alongside Strong, said love and support for the young pastor's family is overflowing. Still spreading his message, Huebner said he and his community find comfort knowing where Strong ended up.
"While there’s plenty of tears, and we had lots of hugs and tears, there’s also this understanding of exactly where he is now," said Huebner.
That overflowing love and care that surrounds Strong's family can also be seen in a GoFundMe online fundraiser set up for his family. The goal was to raise $100,000; as of Wednesday night, it was at more than $130,000 and growing by the minute.