SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — More than 200 people attended or watched the funeral stream online for a baby boy they never met on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. Visitation began at ten this morning, as the minutes ticked by the chairs remained empty, there were no voices, and the tiny casket sat alone at the front of the chapel. But eventually people came, strangers silently introducing themselves, offering prayer and affection for a baby boy they never met.
Melissa Olivier of Brandon is one of them.
“I’m a loss mom, I lost a child right shortly after birth and I very passionately feel he should be celebrated, his life had value,” said Olivier.
We will never know what he would have looked like, what he would have sounded like but now thanks to Jessica Remme, he has a name.
“I’ve served a lot of people since 2018, but this will be my greatest honor to be able to give him a name. After much prayer and reading of some scripture my husband and I decided on Gabriel James and its beautiful and its perfect,” said Remme.
Remme started the Oaklyn Foundation after losing her daughter in 2018. When Miller Funeral Home reached out for her assistance, she didn’t hesitate.
“He needs to have people that are going to advocate for him, people that are going to love on him. I knew right away that he would become a part of our family. Our family will go out and visit him and make sure that his grave is not left empty and just sitting there,” said Remme.
Miller Funeral Home has a long-standing tradition of not charging for children’s funerals.
“It was amazing to see the amount of people who immediately contacted us and volunteered things to help out in any way they can,” said Funeral Director Mathew Koball.
The service included a police honor guard. Following the ceremony, police officers on motorcycles and vehicles accompanied the funeral procession to Hills of Rest Cemetery, Sioux Falls, S.D., where the infant’s remains were laid to rest.
The deceased infant was found August 6, 2024 by staff at Millennium Recycling at 6:40 a.m. that morning. Officials with the Sioux Falls Police Department said they were not sure of the baby’s age, but said it was a “full-term infant.”
