Service set for three children killed by mother

Nicholas, Alexander, and Nadia Harriman were well-known among the families in their Burlington County town.

They attended birthday parties at friends' homes. They rode scooters and played in the backyard after school. They laughed with fellow classmates.

Many of those friends will remember the Harriman children Saturday at a service in Tabernacle Township, a rural community of 7,000.

"We need this, as a community, for closure," said Jenn Quartarone, 38, whose children attended school with the Harrimans. "And to feel at peace that the children are at peace and that the community can start to inch forward with their healing."

Nicholas, 14; Alexander, 11; and Nadia, 8, were shot and killed by their mother, Jeannine LePage, in a murder-suicide on Nov. 20, authorities said. LePage shot each in her bed before turning the gun on herself, detectives said.

Nicholas and Nadia were pronounced dead at the scene; LePage and Alexander died days later at Cooper University Hospital in Camden.

According to an obituary by Moore Funeral Services, a private service will be held for LePage "at the convenience of the family."

A separate obituary was posted for the children.

Nadia, a student at Tabernacle Elementary School, loved cats - there were nearly a dozen in the home where she lived - and "dressing up in fancy clothes," the obituary said. Alexander enjoyed science and attended Kenneth R. Olson Middle School.

Nicholas loved robotics and was a member of the Iron Devils, an after-school club that built robots, at Seneca High School.

Their mother was born in Riverside but grew up in Tabernacle, her obituary said. In 1988, she graduated from Shawnee High School in Medford, and she later became a licensed practical nurse, the obituary said.

State police said they may never know what caused LePage, 44, to shoot her children.

Tabernacle residents who knew the family have pointed to financial problems as a possible motive.

LePage's brother, Michael; his wife, Jill; and their two children shared the home with LePage and her family and the LePage siblings' mother, Maureen. Police said the other family members did not hear the gunshots because LePage muffled them with a pillow.

The children's father, who friends said also grew up in Tabernacle, did not live at the home.

At the home this week, volunteers put up Christmas decorations. Last week, volunteers also gave out 5,000 white ribbons through the schools.

Friends may call at Holy Eucharist Catholic Church, 520 Medford Lakes Rd., where Michael and Jill LePage are members, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

A Funeral Mass will follow at 1.

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