Friends and family members bring caskets into Oak Creek High School on Friday for the funerals of the six people killed in Sunday's shootings at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin. Credit: Chris Wilson

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Oak Creek - They gathered Friday to remember the dead and heal a community.

With prayers, speeches and tears, some 3,000 people filled the Oak Creek High School gymnasium and recalled the lives of the six worshippers killed in Sunday's rampage at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin.

From the most powerful law official in the land, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, to some of the most vulnerable people of all - several of the children of those killed - the mourners heard expressions of grief, defiance and yes, even love, during a visitation and memorial service.

"Today I stand before you without a father," said Pardeep Kaleka, the son of temple founder Satwant Singh Kaleka, who was murdered trying to protect people in a place of worship.

Wearing an American flag scarf wrapped around his left arm, Pardeep Kaleka called on people to "learn from the tragedy" and he invoked the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi to "hate the sin, love the sinner."

"Though we have our differences, our similarities bind us together," he said.

The ceremony was a Sikh experience and an American one, too, a melting pot of mourning and memory, prayers in Punjabi, speeches in English, the haunting drum beat of the tabla and the sorrowful sobs of the living bidding farewell to the dead.

Mourners wore headscarves and turbans. A sea of colors washed over the gym, orange and green, dark blue and white.

In the early morning, the bodies of the dead arrived in six black hearses, parked side by side. Each casket was cared for by some two dozen men, who sang prayers during a slow and emotional journey into the gymnasium.

Bouquets of flowers were arranged at the foot of each casket.

Once the caskets were in place, close female family members made their way to the front of the gymnasium. Muffled sobs could be heard as they moved toward their loved ones.

The women were joined by the men, who chanted prayers as white sheets that adorned the top of each casket were pulled back, revealing the bodies of the dead. Photos of those killed were placed on easels.

An American flag was unfurled.

Thirteen-year-old Prabhjot Singh Rathor stood at the head of his father's casket and gazed lovingly at him for much of the two-hour viewing, frequently resting his hand on his father's shoulder and chest. His father, Prakash Singh, a priest, was killed in the attack.

One mourner brought a single stem of white daisies to each victim's family, and the flowers were placed in the caskets. The white daisies symbolized loyal love.

As mourners filed in, some took off their shoes. Others quietly moved toward the front and the caskets, where close family relatives sat cross legged on white sheets.

"Oh, dear God, please forgive me in this life," a Sikh priest told the mourners. "We pray for the departed souls."

Mourners of every color and from every walk of life sat side by side in the bleachers.

A white man in a worn jean jacket with the words "Born to Ride" on the back sat side-by-side with an African-American businessman who had tears streaming down his face.

On the floor near the caskets, two women greeted each other, leaning over chairs to gently touch foreheads. One woman pulled away, wiping away tears with her scarf.

Toward the end of the line of mourners, a woman collapsed in grief.

Wearing an orange head scarf, his voice suffused with emotion, Gov. Scott Walker told the mourners they were not alone.

Quoting from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Walker said he, too, saw "love driving out hate" during such moments as a national night out against crime, as well as the healing care provided for wounded victims at Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa.

"And I experienced love driving out hate when I visited the families of the victims and heard wonderful stories about the compassion of the victims," Walker said.

Walker also reflected on the phrase E Pluribus Unum, which means, out of many, one.

"As Americans, we are one, and when you attack one of us, you attack all of us," Walker said.

"This week, our friends and neighbors in the Sikh community have shown us the best way to respond - with love," Walker said.

Holder spoke of the meaning of the violence against a minority community.

"Unfortunately, for the Sikh community, this sort of violence has become all too common in recent years," Holder said. "In the recent past, too many Sikhs have been targeted and victimized simply because of who they are, how they look, and what they believe. This is wrong. It is unacceptable. And it will not be tolerated. We must ask necessary questions of ourselves: What kind of nation do we truly want to have?"

Holder eloquently spoke of those killed in the tragedy.

"We gather to honor Suveg Singh Khattra, a retired farmer who came to the gurdwara to hear his native Punjabi, the language of his home and of the scriptures he loved," Holder said.

"We celebrate the life of Paramjit Kaur, a proud mother who was always devoted to her two sons - Harpreet and Kamal - and to her faith. And we remember Prakash Singh, who just recently was overjoyed to be reunited with his wife and children from India - a nation that is both a trusted ally and a revered friend.

"We also honor Sita and Ranjit Singh, brothers who were both priests at the gurdwara, who devoted their lives to the practice of their faith and to the service of others. And we reflect on the extraordinary contributions of Satwant Singh Kaleka - a key leader and founder of the gurdwara, who, in a split-second decision, didn't hesitate to put his own body between a deranged killer and his fellow worshippers."

Holder said of Kaleka: "We will never know how many lives he saved last Sunday - or how many more he enriched during the many days and years he spent at his beloved gurdwara, where he was so clearly dedicated to feeding the hungry, befriending the lonely, and reaching out to help those most in need."

Holder and others spoke movingly of the wounded, including Oak Creek Lt. Brian Murphy, who was shot at least eight times during the attack. Murphy and two others remain hospitalized.

"I think it's comforting when so many people can share in your pain," said Amardeep Kaleka, another son of the temple founder.

A daughter of Prakash Singh, one of the priests killed Sunday, said her father was "very good."

"Wherever he is now, he's happy," said Palmeet Kaur Rathor.

Parkash Singh Badal, the chief minister of Punjab, said "today is the most tragic day."

Badal said when he heard the news of the killings, "a veil of grief was there."

"I pray for all my people," he said, adding that the victims' families were now "families of the whole nation."

The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. called on all "to reject the hatred" in the wake of the killings. "We are all Sikhs today," Jackson said. "We are in this together. The whole world is one because there is so much power in the blood of the innocent."

Former Gov. Tommy Thompson said, "Our prayers are with you. Our hearts are laden with sorrow and sympathy. We are all brothers and sisters today. . . . "

Kaur's older son remembered his mother as a caring and unselfish person.

"Thank you, all of you, who are here to support my mother," said Kamal Saini. "As I look around, I don't just see Punjabis or Hindus or Christians or Jews. I see we are all one.

"Whatever she did, she was very unselfish about it," Saini said. "She never lived for herself. It was always the kids first, and then herself."

On a large video screen flashed the photos of those who died and a phrase of remembrance: "We pay homage today and every day forth to the legacy of the victims' lives and to what heroes they all were in every way."

One family member of 84-year-old Suveg Singh Khattra said: "All of them were heroes. They all died in a painful place."

After the visitation, mourners retreated to the temple for a lunch. Three private funerals were scheduled for later Friday. The bodies were to be cremated.

Amardeep Kaleka said he hopes that families of the victims could take the ashes of the dead to India. He said he wanted the ashes spread into a river and carried to the sea.

Aisha Qidwae, Nicole Levy and Karen Herzog of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.

More online

To see a video and photo gallery of Friday's services, go to jsonline.com/multimedia.

CONDITION UPGRADED

The condition of one of three victims wounded Sunday in the Oak Creek Sikh temple shooting improved Friday afternoon, a Froedtert Hospital official said.

Santokh Singh, 50, was upgraded from serious to satisfactory condition, Froedtert spokeswoman Kathy Sieja said.

He was shot once and suffered wounds to his chest, diaphragm, stomach and liver.

Oak Creek police Lt. Brian Murphy, who was shot eight or nine times, also is in satisfactory condition, Sieja said.

Punjab Singh, 65, who suffered a single wound to the face, remained in critical condition Friday and required mechanical support to breathe.

The bullet caused facial fractures and damage to his right carotid and vertebral artery and he also might have suffered a stroke, the hospital reported.

The families of Murphy and Santokh Singh issued statements Friday expressing appreciation for the outpouring of support and sympathy they have received since the shootings that left six worshippers and the gunman dead.

They also expressed gratitude to law enforcement and rescue personnel who responded to the shootings.

"We are pleased to know that Lt. Murphy is progressing so well in his recovery and pray for the continued healing of Punjab Singh," said Santokh Singh's nephew Gurjeet Singh.

Murphy's family thanked the Sikh community for including them in their prayers and said the victims of the shootings are in their prayers also.

"As we continue to support Brian and hope for his recovery, we remember the families who lost loved ones in this tragedy."