http://calgaryherald.com/news/crime/funeral-held-for-coventry-hills-homicide-victim
Video:
http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=734788
Funeral held for Coventry Hills homicide victim
ANNALISE KLINGBEIL, CALGARY HERALD
Family and friends gathered at a northeast church Sunday morning to remember Selma Alem, who was found dead inside her Coventry Hills home alongside another woman last week.
Dressed in white, mourners honoured Alem, a 54-year-old mother at St. Micheals Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church in Bridgeland.
“It’s a really heartbreaking moment here,” said Daniel Michael, Alem’s cousin, who travelled from Winnipeg to grieve with family at her funeral.
Alem and 25-year-old Julie Tran were discovered stabbed to death last week at Alem’s home in the 200 block of Coventry Close N.E.
Police believe the women were killed between 36 and 48 hours before their bodies were discovered.
Michael said he fondly remembers all the time he spent with Alem, from family reunions in Eritrea to weddings and other gatherings. He said his family in Winnipeg would try to support her from away when she suffered through bouts of cancer.
“We would try to make her strong to deal with her problems, to help with her sickness, to pray for her,” he said.
Alem was a professional caregiver who looked after two clients with disabilities in her home, one of whom was Tran. Alem prepared meals, provided medication and took Tran to appointments.
No charges have been laid in connection to the double homicide, but police said Friday they had a person of interest in custody and believe at least one of the victims knew the attacker.
Alem was born in Eritrea and had lived in Calgary for more than 30 years.
She had suffered through two bouts of cancer and lost a son after he was beaten to death with a meat cleaver a decade ago.
With files from Reid Southwick
https://postmediacalgaryherald2.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/qb-court.jpeg?quality=55&strip=all
Selma Alem, pictured in this 2006 file photo, is being remembered as a generous, loving mother.
http://wpmedia.calgaryherald.com/2015/10/funeral-crystal-schick-calgary-herald-calgary-ab-over-a.jpeg?quality=55&strip=all&w=840&h=630&crop=1
More than 100 people gathered at Queen's Park Cemetery to mourn the death of Selamawit "Selma" Alem in Calgary, on October 25.
Received on Mon Oct 26 2015 - 05:34:27 EDT
