A funeral fit for a princess: Durham men honor city’s youngest victim of gun violence

Curtis Peaks brushes off the sleeves of his black sports coat and straightens the monogrammed gold pin on his lapel. He nods to business partner Christopher Weaver, sporting a pale pink suit, as he adjusts the rings on his right hand.

The pair hears car doors opening and closing in the parking lot. They take a deep breath and pull open the cathedral glass front door of Weaver & Peaks Funeral Care.

They entered the funeral business over a decade ago, and they have buried neighbors and former classmates.

“It’s always a shock, especially when you first see them,” Weaver said. “That’s someone you used to walk the hallways with, you used to go to sporting events with.

“We never get used to it. Anyone who says they get used to it, I ask them to check their heart,” Weaver said.

Still, Peaks said he finds solace in being able to comfort families facing unimaginable loss.

Brittany Dash shuffles through the front door, followed by a small group of family members as they prepare for a final viewing of Dash’s 5-year-old daughter, Khloe Fennell.

Khloe was shot and killed in her Durham home on July 5.

Her 15-year-old cousin and babysitter, Destiny Sideberry, was also shot and remains in the hospital, according to family members.

Khloe is the first child killed by gun violence to come through their funeral home, and the latest in a growing line of people killed by violent crime that Weaver and Peaks have tended to.

In the days after Khloe was killed, Weaver and Peaks planned a vigil at Dash’s home where family and friends released dozens of pink balloons in her honor. Since then, Peaks has painstakingly designed custom programs, memorial plaques and church fans for Friday’s funeral, all featuring Khloe’s smiling face and warm, brown eyes.

But his proudest work on Khloe’s funeral is her custom casket.

It’s noticeably smaller than most — only 4-and-a-half feet long — and is decorated with pink and white polka dots.

When Weaver opened the tiny coffin at Immanuel Temple Seventh Day Adventist Church on Friday morning, there was a photo of Khloe and Minnie Mouse together, smiling ear to ear. He decided Khloe could use a companion and placed a stuffed Minnie Mouse doll snuggled up next to her.

“We want to make it as special as possible,” Peaks said.

Weaver, the mortician of the pair, said he sees every body he encounters as a work of art, especially 5-year-old Khloe.

“We’re trying to make Khloe look like she did to her family: vibrant,” he said. “She’s looking like a little princess.”

In the final moments before the funeral begins, Weaver makes final adjustments to nearby flower arrangements to make sure everything is perfect for Khloe and her family.

Weaver and Peaks plan to extend Khloe’s princess treatment beyond her casket. After her funeral, she will be carried to a nearby cemetery in a horse-drawn carriage.

It’s far from a fairy tale ending, but Weaver and Peaks hope these final memories bring a sense of closure to the little girl’s family.

While the final viewing can be a painful moment, Weaver said the family’s viewing went better than expected.

“They were at peace knowing they could see baby Khloe after all this time,” Weaver said.

The family makes their way to the parking lot, their wails of sorrow muffled behind the parlor’s thick, tinted windows.

Weaver and Peaks wave goodbye and close the door behind them.

Ethan Hyman contributed to this report.