Gentle and generous: Mourners remember B.C. mother and son killed in police standoff

Two simple wooden coffins arrivedat thefuneral ina red pick uptruck flying an American flag.

A prominentunion leader and local First Nations men carried thecoffins inside a hillside church in Burns Lake,B.C, where several hundred mourners gatheredTuesdayto say goodbye to Shirley and Jovan Williams.

They remembered the mother and son who werekilled April 21 in anRCMPstandoff as gentle, generouspeople.

Jovan wasa formerU.S. Marine with a shy smile who loved to draw cartoons.Shirley,a southern belle from Memphis, Tennessee, nicknamed "Boots."embraced northern life after marrying aman from theCheslatta Carrier First Nation.

• Shirley Williams, 77, and son Jovan Williams, 39, confirmedas victims in police-involved shooting

At the funeral,Harvey Williams describedhis former partner as hisbest friend.

"When I heard that they both died, that they were killed by police officers, everything went black," Williamstoldmourners at Immaculata Catholic Church.

"Like I was knocked out by a professional boxer. I didn't want to live anymore."

A 'nice family'

Shirley Williams, 77, and her son, 39, were shot and killed during an RCMP standoff at their Granisle, B.C. home. Police say they were responding to a dispute between neighbours.

B.C.'spolice watchdog, the Independent Investigation Office, is investigating, but few details have been released.

"They're a really nice family," said Cheslatta elder Minnie Peters outside the church. "It's really so sad. I just don't believe this happened."

Peters'daughter, Kris Peters, worked with Jovan Williams for sixyears at the Lake Babine band office, where he was a custodian and security guard.

"He was a really kind, gentle man," she said."I just don't understand why it happenedto such a nice guy."

It was a common sentiment,repeated in the eulogiesand in dozens of remembrances printed in the funeral program.

Jovanwas rememberedas handsome, quiet, polite, hardworking, and easy going. Somerecalled his dimples,shy smile and his friendly half-wave.

Others rememberedhis love for drawing cartoons.

He was also generous. Aman so devoted to his mother, he once sold his car to pay for her dental work. He left his custodian job at the Lake Babine band office in Januaryto care for his mother full time.

Shirley was remembered as a generous woman, who loved her garden and her pets and organized wonderful Easter egg hunts.

'Respected' in community

She was a self taught lumber grader at the northern mill where she also became a shop steward andunion activist.

Cheslatta Chief Corinna Leweensays it's a far cry from how the pair are being described in somemedia reports.

"I don't know them to have a mental illness," said Leween. "These two were respected individuals within our community, and the packed church here symbolizes that.

"They were hard working. They loved to help people. So this clears up a lot of these rumours.... coming out of the neighbours and people in Granisle that maybe didn't know them that well."

As mother and son were laid to rest, many were demanding to know what happened."

"I just want answers, why this happened," said Kris Peters.