Candles, prayers for slain family

Tears fell. People sniffled and held hands as The Rev. Stephen Haddan intoned the Anderson family's names and lit the white candles lined up on the altar. The overhead lights were dimmed in Tolt Congregational United Church of Christ. He started on the right.

"Wayne," Haddan said.

The Carnation church bell chimed outside, echoing in the sanctuary.

"Judy."

The bell chimed again and then again until the candles were lit for the six members of the Anderson family killed in a Carnation-area home Christmas Eve.

Two candles remained on the altar. Haddan lit them but the chimes were silent as he prayed for the final two names: Michele Anderson and Joseph McEnroe. Anderson, daughter of two of the victims, and her boyfriend McEnroe were charged with six counts of first-degree murder Friday in the shooting deaths of the Anderson family.

Afterward, voices choked as the congregation tried to sing the closing hymns. People exited slowly from the service. They lingered in the fellowship hall, sipping coffee and frequently hugging one another.

The Andersons were not members of Haddan's church, but he planned the service as a way for the congregation to come to terms with the tragedy in their midst.

Carnation churches on Sunday celebrated both the joy of the Christmas season and the tragedy that struck the close-knit community. The slain family included Wayne Anderson, 60, and his wife, Judy, 61, both of Carnation; their son and daughter-in-law of Black Diamond, Scott and Erica, both 32; and the young couple's children, 5-year-old Olivia and 3-year-old Nathan.

Members of the Carnation Bible Church gathered at the Carnation common area. The congregation circled, held hands and prayed for the Anderson family.

At St. Anthony Catholic Church, the Rev. Jan Larson briefly mentioned the killings in his homily. He did not name the Anderson family but mentioned the tragedy within the community. On the inside of the left-hand sanctuary door a flier announced today's 5 p.m. community candlelight service.

Haddan encouraged the congregation at the Tolt Congregational United Church of Christ to share their feelings about the slayings and to remember that the Carnation community abounds with generosity. "Do extra things for perfect strangers," he suggested.

In the face of hatred and desperation, Haddan said, it is easier to pull back, but people need to recognize the good that surrounds the world during this Christmas season.

During the community prayers in the darkened church, Bob Patterson prayed aloud. "I will miss my favorite mail lady," he said. "May the Lord be with her." Judy Anderson delivered mail in Carnation.

After the service, Haddan noted that it was hard to pray for those charged with the killings.

"Even from the pulpit, it is hard," he said. "We're trying to strike a balance between the joy of Christmas and our loss. We need to pray for everyone."

Patterson, a former mayor of Carnation, said Judy Anderson was a wonderful person.

"She was 61, but I thought she was about 51," he said. "You hear about things like this happening in Pennsylvania or Texas. Not in Carnation where you live."

Isabel Jones also had fond memories of Judy Anderson.

"There was a woman on Judy's route who used to come out to get her mail in her bedroom slippers. They weren't much protection from the rain and mud," Jones said after the service. "So Judy would bound out of her vehicle and run the mail up the woman's stairs so she didn't have to come outside."

Anderson apparently touched many lives as a mail carrier.

"My kids and I loved her," said Carolyn Durand, who worked at Sandy's Espresso on Sunday morning. "My kids watched for her to come down our street and were always excited to see her. She always had a smile for us. She was the first person I met when we moved to Carnation nine years ago, and she set the tone for the whole community."

Durand wiped tears from her eyes. "We're going to miss her."

Sherry Grindeland: 206-515-5633 or sgrindeland@seattletimes.com