A family remembered for its faith

The Carroll County community is mourning the loss of a mother and two children who died in a house fire Friday night.

Investigators said the fire that claimed three lives is electrical in nature and accidental.

Loved ones and friends attended a visitation for Leah, Harrison and Sophia Wagoner at the Flora United Methodist Church, located at 107 East Main Street in Flora. 

Friends describe the Wagoner family as beautiful inside and out and it's their faith that will be remembered most.
Honesty and her good advice are just a few things Cindy Reinke will remember about Leah Wagoner. Fond memories also come to mind when she recalls 7-year-old Harrison and 4-year-old Sophia.

"Sophia was like a little doll. Just real petite and running up to mom to hold her and cuddle her. Harrison, he had a special relationship with my husband. My husband likes to hunt, particularly bow hunt. So, he introduced Harrison to the bow and arrow," said Reinke, a friend and Flora resident.

Leah was an avid runner with Flora residents Jennifer and Gary Wellbaum. 
 

"When we ran the marathon, we got to mile 18 and, of course we still had a way to go to get to 26. Leah looked at me and said, I'm never going to make it. I said yeah, we will. We can make it together. The only way we made it through is we all leaned on each other and made it through," said Jennifer Wellbaum.

"No matter when we ran, whether it was 5 o'clock in the morning, 10 o'clock at night, Leah had her lipstick on," said Gary Wellbaum.

Family friend Dawn Seward said Leah was artistic, into gardening and canning and made jewelry.  She said Leah can be described as a "prayer warrior" and she will remember her faith the most.
 

"I'm just so impressed with her scripture memory and what she taught her children. They know more scripture than most of us and they're seven and four," said Seward.
 

Reinke said she will also remember Leah most for her faith, which had no boundaries.

"She wanted to plant a second garden because she's really enjoying gardening and canning. She wanted us to pray about her garden," said Reinke.

Friends said Leah would want everyone who hears her story to question whether they are ready to go to heaven.

"She wanted everybody to know her savior and she wanted everybody to be ready," said Jennifer Wellbaum.
 

"She's up in Heaven with her two kids and that's exactly where she'd want to be," said friend and Flora resident Julie Bush.
 

"My only hope a year from now is that Brian starts to heal and Leah would want him to heal and go on and live his life," said Bush.
 

Flora Fire Chief said Brian Wagoner, Leah's husband and Harrison and Sophia's father, survived.  Sisson said Brain tried to rescue his family from the burning house.  When he was unable to get them out, he left for help but it was too late.  
 

Sisson said investigators from the state Fire Marshall office are finishing up and will release more information in a day or two.
 

Services for Leah, Harrison and Sophia will take place tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. at Faith Baptist Church on State Road 26 East in Lafayette.