Slain minister remembered as devoted father, husband
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Matthew Winkler, 31, was remembered as a devoted husband and father, said mourners attending his funeral, which was closed to the news media. Little mention was made of his wife or the way he died, they said.
Winkler?s three young daughters attended the funeral with their paternal grandparents, now their legal guardians.
?We love these girls dearly. They?re just precious,? said Eddie Thompson, a family friend and funeral speaker who talked with reporters after the service. ?They?re having peaks and valleys, but by and large they?re incredibly happy.?
Police kept a pack of reporters and photographers 50 yards from Fourth Street Church of Christ in Selmer, a town of 4,400 about 80 miles east of Memphis.
Winkler?s casket, covered with flowers, arrived in a gray hearse and was followed into the church by his family as pallbearers carried it inside.
The TBI says Winkler?s wife, Mary, 32, has confessed to the killing, but authorities refuse to disclose what she gave as a motive. Defense attorneys also refuse any talk about a motive. She is charged with first-degree murder and being held at the McNairy County Jail, a few miles from the church on the outskirts of town.
Church members describe the Winklers as a loving couple, saying they have no idea what may have set off the shooting.
Mourner Barbara Letson said Thompson made only a brief reference during the funeral to the circumstances of Winkler’s death.
?He just said we?re puzzled. That?s the word he used, puzzled,? said Letson of Decatur, Ala.
Letson?s son, Doug, who went to high school with Matthew Winkler, said the focus of the service was on his friend?s life and Biblical verses that could offer comfort for his family.
?You couldn?t ask for a better person. You couldn?t ask for a better guy,? Letson said, struggling to hold back tears.
Lenora Thompson, a family friend from Fairview Heights, Ill., said speakers at the funeral told personal stories about Winkler’s life and his devotion to his wife and children.
The Winkler children sat on a front row as their paternal grandfather, Dan Winkler, delivered the eulogy and their father?s brothers, Jacob and Daniel, read Bible passages, those in attendance said.
Little direct reference was made to Mary Winkler, who has yet to enter a plea and is scheduled for a court appearance Thursday.