The Celebration of Life for Darrell and Terry Bontrager next month will take place at Twelfth Avenue Baptist Church in Emporia.
The service will be held at 1 pm July 26 after the Bontragers were killed in a house explosion at their home, 1814 East Sixth, on June 18. Darrell Bontrager was a longtime postal carrier in and around Emporia, while Terry Bontrager spent nearly 20 years as an administrative assistant at KVOE before supporting their son, Daryn, after the opening of Do-B’s Burger Barn, Philly Stop and Po-Boy Shoppe.
A Bontrager Memorial Fund has also been established at ESB Financial to help with expenses and to offer financial support for causes championed by the Bontragers, including Gideons International. Residents can go to the downtown ESB Financial location, 801 Merchant, as well as mailing donations to the bank or making online payments through PayPal or Venmo.
In addition, 627 Event Space is donating 20 percent of its Taco Tuesday proceeds this week to the Bontrager family. Mealtrain.com has also collected over $700 for the family, with a meal train organized to offer meals for 10 adults and five children. People can drop off meal train donations at Wagon Wheel Grill & Bar, 2918 West Highway 50, between 5-7 pm. Click here for the link.
A cause is still under investigation.
