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Hadiya Pendleton wake
Tanique Parker, 16, cries as she leaves the wake for friend and classmate Hadiya Pendleton at Calahan Funeral Home on Chicago's South Side. (Chris Sweda, Chicago Tribune /February 8, 2013)
Friends and family gathered at Calahan Funeral Home on the South Side this afternoon for the wake of Hadiya Pendleton, the 15-year-old girl whose slaying last week became a national symbol of the gun violence in Chicago.
Hadiya’s body lay in an open casket, dressed in a purple dress embellished with sparkles. The inside of the casket was lined in a soft purple.
Visitors signed in a registry and wrote personal messages to Hadiya on a dedication board. Family gathered in the back of the room, some talking with visitors, others sitting in chairs.
Dozens of bouquets of flowers lined the room and a large photo of Hadiya was hung on display. A small TV played a picture slideshow of Hadiya smiling with family and friends.
John Burdette, a Hyde Park resident, said although he didn't know the Pendleton family, he wanted to pay his condolences.
“It helped put me at ease,” said Burdette, 64. "This poor young lady. Things are nuts out there and it's terrible. I don't leave my house after 4 p.m.”
Media trucks and police cars lined Halsted Street outside the funeral home, as Hadiya's death has garnered much attention on both a local and national scale.
The wake is scheduled from 2 to 9 p.m. Friday with the funeral to follow Saturday morning. First lady Michelle Obama is scheduled to attend.bdoyle@tribune.com
Community says goodbye to slain teen
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Community says goodbye to slain teen
