Her young friends mourn slain Skyler

Many of the mourners at 9-year-old Skyler Kauffman's funeral yesterday couldn't see over the top of her small, pink coffin as they walked past it - not even when they stood on their tiptoes.

They were Skyler's friends, tiny mourners who, instead of clinging to tissues, clung tight to baby dolls. Instead of attending school, they attended their first funeral.

A funeral not for a grandparent or an old neighbor but for their peer, a girl whose time on this earth was cut so short that she was remembered yesterday for embodying the only part of life she got to live - childhood.

Skyler's lifeless body was found May 9 in a Dumpster next to a Souderton apartment complex where she lived with her mother and grandmother.

That same night, police arrested her neighbor, James Troutman, 24. He was charged with raping and murdering Skyler in the basement of their apartment house.

Yesterday, hundreds of people filled the auditorium of the Calvary Church of Souderton to mourn Skyler, who was remembered for her infectious smile, outgoing personality and trusting nature.

In a message from Skyler's paternal grandfather, Spencer Kauffman that was read aloud by the officiant, the Rev. Jason Blair, Kauffman remembered his granddaughter as a girl who insisted on sledding even in only 1 inch of snow and who loved shoes and the Jonas Brothers.

"Skyler was this special grandchild we never could have imagined," Kauffman wrote.

Skyler's aunt Meghan also spoke of the girl's love for fashion and her eternal "adorableness."

"The littlest lights shine the brightest," said Meghan, who did not give her last name. "I still don't believe this is real. I wish it wasn't."

Ronald Martiello, principal of General Nash Elementary, in Harleysville, the first school Skyler attended, said Skyler loved to be surrounded by friends, especially on the playground, and loved to dress herself in the most colorful clothes.

"She's on God's playground now, surrounded by her angel friends and wearing the most beautiful colors," he said.

Johnathan Graff, principal of E.M. Crouthamel Elementary School, in Souderton, where Skyler was attending third grade, read letters from Skyler's classmates who remembered her good handwriting, pretty hair and eyes.

"I think you're as beautiful as a meadow of flowers," one student wrote, while another said, "Sorry you didn't get to finish your project on Spain."

Grace Crowley, Skyler's teacher, said Skyler was a gifted writer. She read a poem Skyler had written called "When You Look Up."

"When you look up, I am there.

When you look up, you see blue.

When you look up, you see your spirit ...

When you look up you will see God.

When you look up, you will see yourself."

Rev. Blair spoke of the "evil" that took Skyler away and "frightened" a community.

"There are no answers. There is no one experienced enough to assure you there is hope in this terrible situation," Blair said. "Yet, the world turns . . .

"I do not believe, in this case, time will heal all wounds. And yet, I cannot despair . . . I refuse to allow evil to prevail."

Jayne Dressler, Skyler's music teacher, said Skyler and her classmates were learning to play the recorder. One of the last songs Skyler learned was "Amazing Grace."

The ceremony ended with a boy, Skyler's classmate, playing the hymn on his recorder.