The popular gospel chorus Write My Name Up There was 10-year-old Ikel Henry’s favourite. So when the congregation at the Clear Park Seventh-Day Adventist church began singing it yesterday, it was not surprising that the young boy’s relatives, friends and Eltham Park Primary schoolmates all burst into tears.

They could no longer contain the grief they felt at losing Ikel and his seven-year-old brother, Sheddar just over two weeks ago to the deceptively deep waters of the Rio Cobre at the back of the Eltham Park community.

Even the boys’ father, Berthram Henry, a man who, judging from his appearance, was not used to crying, could not hide his sorrow. For most of the service, he sought refuge outside the church in Gordon Pen, Spanish Town. But the sight of the bodies of his two youngest children lying still in identical blue and white caskets was too much to bear, and he broke down.

He again broke down after the caskets were placed into the hearse on their way to the burial site in Bamboo, St Ann. The intense pain tearing at his heart was mirrored on his tear-filled face as he clung to the side of the hearse.

The boys drowned when Ikel tried to rescue his brother from the deep waters. Sheddar had got into difficulty while trying to retrieve a foot of his slipper which had fallen into the river.

Adults were alerted to the tragedy by the boys’ schoolmate, Rushane Ferguson, who was with them at the time.

Tributes rendered by the boys’ former classmates during the emotionally charged service told of their endearing personalities.

“Your friends in the class are hurting a lot

They won’t find anyone to fill your spot

You were only here for seven short years

But that won’t stop us from shedding the tears”, the students of grade 2H recited in tribute to Sheddar.

Zarah Henry, the grade 2H teacher, described her former student as one of her most promising. “He really tried.and his presence in the class will be truly missed,” she said.

For Ikel, the students of 5M sang Keep Your Feet On The Ground, and his former teacher, Marcia Brown-Morgan, shared poetry urging the boys’ mother not to allow grief to overcome her.

“Mama, di pain hot and wi know yuh mus ah bawl

but mama, dry yuh tears and don’t cry fi wi,” the piece went.

It also urged family members not to lay blame at the feet of little Rushane. “Yuh si wi fren weh name Rushane,

him yuh nuffi blame

cause if him could, him woulda save wi”.

During the heart-rending service, the little boys were described as full of life, loving, outgoing and helpful. Ikel, the quieter of the two and who was known for his smile, was “always willing to help and wanted to be a soldier”, his sister Shantel-Lee said in the eulogy.

Perhaps it was this willingness to help that led to his death in what was a cruel twist of fate on January 18.

Little Sheddar, said to be the “life of the family”, was described as intelligent and outspoken, not fearing to communicate his disagreements with anyone, including his teacher. He wanted to become a track and field athlete and often told his mother he would be the next Asafa Powell and would one day make her rich.

Last Sunday, Eltham Park residents decided at their monthly citizens’ association meeting to ask the developers of the housing scheme, West Indies Home Contractors Limited, to assist in erecting a fence to protect their children from the river.