Boy gets a proper burial for his stillborn sister

Roger Holloway, 11, places stuffed animals and an angel near his sister Rachel's casket at St. John's Lutheran Cemetery Thursday near Hockley. Roger Holloway, 11, places stuffed animals and an angel near his sister Rachel's casket at St. John's Lutheran Cemetery Thursday near Hockley. Photo: Kevin Fujii, Chronicle Photo: Kevin Fujii, Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Boy gets a proper burial for his stillborn sister 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

All eyes focused on the tiny casket that 11-year-old Roger Holloway and his three young cousins carried somberly at a Waller cemetery.

When the boys reached their intended destination, they gently placed the white fiberglass box on a stand. Then they adorned it with flowers, stuffed animals and a baby blanket.

About 15 adults were on hand Thursday to witness the event that Roger had dreamed of offering his infant sister — a proper burial at a cemetery near his home, complete with a tombstone bearing the name he had given her.

Although the Hockley fifth-grader's wish might seem basic in the name of all that is decent, his story is anything but ordinary.

Roger assumed those responsibilities after his sister's body had remained in the morgue at the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office for almost a year.

The infant, who had been known only as "Fetus Girl Holloway," was stillborn last May as a result of her mother's illegal drug use. The 31-week fetus — a well-developed female with a full head of hair — might have ended up in a pauper's cemetery far from Hockley had her brother not objected, authorities said.

The baby's father could not be located, and the children's 33-year-old mother has struggled with a drug addiction for the past two years, staying away from home for months at a time, loved ones said. So Roger, who did not know of his mother's pregnancy until it was over, gave the tiny girl a name — Rachel — and sought to have her buried within walking distance of his home or school.

The boy's determination and persistence set the case apart from those typically seen at the Harris County Social Services Department, which has the task of burying the indigent and unclaimed.

"I think this is amazing," said Virginia Stebbins, one of the department's bereavement counselors, who sought help from other agencies to help Roger realize his goal. "I'm looking at greatness ... So many times we deal with people who don't want to be involved with their loved ones' funerals."

Help from donors

Donors helped Roger achieve his mission since his grandmother, who is raising him, could not afford the expense of a private burial. The boy had refused to let his sister be buried in the Harris County Cemetery because it is 49 miles from his home.

Earlier this week, the board of St. John's Lutheran Church agreed to let Rachel be buried in its Waller cemetery just down the street from Roger's school.

The 11-year-old, who has long been aware of his mother's drug addiction, never saw his sister in person but took the baby's death hard. Perhaps it was because his own father died when he was just a year old. Maybe it was because of his mother's long absences from home or because he never had a sibling before. Whatever the reason, he resolved to keep his sister close.

"Since my dad died, I never got to know him," the boy said after Thursday's graveside service. "And since my sister died, I never got to know her either. The good thing is she's with God and my dad in heaven, and she's going to rest in peace."

The pastor presiding over Thursday's service told mourners Rachel had an impact, although she never had a chance to enjoy life.

"She reminded us of our need for one another," St. John's Lutheran Church pastor Edd Wunderlich told mourners. "She brought us together today when it would have been so easy to forget."

Roger's mother, whose name is not being published at the family's request, was unable to attend Thursday's service since she is undergoing a 30-day drug-rehabilitation program in a Houston hospital. But she told her son by telephone that she is proud of him and asked for his forgiveness, he said.

"She's asking me if I can ever forgive her for what she's done," Roger said. "I told her, yeah, I can forgive her. She messed up, but she's still my mom, and I love her."

'Truly a little man'

One of many donors who came together to make the service happen, John Hamilton , chief executive officer of the Option 1 Realty Group in Katy, promised Thursday that he will pay for flowers for years to come so Roger can decorate his sister's grave every week until he becomes an adult.

"I will definitely take care of her, OK?" Hamilton told the boy, who hugged him in gratitude.

Chronicle readers also showed an outpouring of support for Roger.

The boy's plight "reminded me no matter how hard life seems, it could be worse," wrote one reader, Chris Choate, of La Porte. "This boy has struggled for most of his short life, and at such a young age, he is truly a little man."

peggy.ohare@chron.com