God Bless Cpl. Cole Daniel Bartsch

Dennis and Juanita Bartsch comfort each
other as they follow the casket of their son,
Cpl. Cole Bartsch, at his funeral yesterday in
Whitecourt, 177 km northwest of Edmonton

In Whitecourt, more than 500 friends, family and military packed a church for the funeral of Cpl. Bartsch, 23.

The Pentecostal church was overflowing with mourners and dozens of people watched the funeral on closed-circuit TV in tents set up on the church grounds.

Cpl. Bartsch's parents issued a statement urging Canadians to support the mission to Afghanistan so that "our men and women don't die for no reason."

Dennis and Juanita Bartsch said their son told them that he understood the threat that Canada faces and the need for Canadian soldiers to be deployed in Afghanistan.

The statement said that one day Cpl. Cole Bartsch told his mom: "It's like this, where do you want us to fight them — over there or over here?"

Cpl. Cole Bartsch
BARTSCH, Corporal Cole Daniel On Wednesday, July 4, 2007, Corporal Cole Daniel Bartsch of Whitecourt, Alberta was killed in action while serving Canada in Kandahar, Afghanistan at the age of 23 years. Cole will be deeply mourned and always loved by his mom and dad, Juanita and Dennis; sisters, Tara Archambult and Joleen; brother, Eric, all of Whitecourt; niece, Cami and nephew, Xander; maternal grandparents, Richard and Cathy Stepp of Creston, BC and paternal grandfather, Jake Bartsch of Whitecourt; uncles, aunts, cousins, PPCLI comrades and friends. Predeceased by his paternal grandmother, Dorothy Bartsch. A Funeral Service with Full Military Honours to Celebrate Cole's Life will be held on Saturday, July 14 at 1:00 p.m. at the Whitecourt Family Worship Centre, Whitecourt. Padre Tracy Moore of the Canadian Armed Forces and Pastor Tara Fawcett of the Whitecourt Family Worship Centre officiating with interment in Whitecourt Cemetery. In lieu of other tributes, donations may be made to the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation, 4th Floor Aberhart Centre One, 11402 - University Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6G 2J3. To send condolences, visit www.parkmemorial.com Park Memorial Whitecourt 780-779-2533 Family Owned Funeral Home and Crematorium To view or sign the guestbook for the family, simply click on the book.