Family and friends gathered today to say a final goodbye to Torjus Seland (7) in Lyngdal church. – Torjus touched many of us. We carried him with us in our thoughts and prayers in the hope that he would return home safely, Pastor Jim Foss said in front of a packed church. Green balloons floated by the coffin. Flower wreaths in autumn colors marked the church, and several toy tractors stood in front of the coffin. The boy disappeared from his family during a hunting trip in Lindesnes on Sunday 15 October. On Tuesday last week, he was found dead after a large search operation. Several hundred people turned up to say their last goodbyes and show their support. In addition, a stream of the funeral was set up both at the church center and in the Mission Church in Lyngdal. There was room for approximately 700 people in the church, 400 in the church center and 400–500 in the mission church. Lyngdal church was full for the funeral of Torjus Seland (7) today. Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk / news A spreader of joy – Torjus was a prankster and a spreader of joy, Foss said in the memorial speech. – He gave a smile to everyone he met, and was a grateful boy who was concerned with life on the family farm. Torjus’ role models were the workers. The best thing he knew was to sit on a tractor and help work. – You were mum’s treasure and dad’s labour, said mother Gunn Anita Birkeland in her memorial speech. – Dear friend. A father should not experience this. To stand by his son’s grave, said his father Inge Seland. Torjus was the youngest in a group of four siblings. All three older sisters said goodbye to their little brother. Then the Stavanger friends sang “Bare so du vett det”, which was one of Torjus’ favorite songs. Photo: Siv Kristin Sællmann / news Will leave a mark on Lyngdal for a long time – It is heavy and completely unreal. When a little boy disappears like that, it affects everyone. So it has been a hard day today, says Konrad Grimestad. He organized the 1,200 volunteers in the search for Torjus in Lindesnes, and experienced that the “whole” of Norway would contribute during the days the search was underway. He got the same feeling today, when he saw how many people wanted to say goodbye to the boy. – There was a large attendance at the church here today, so there were many who wanted to follow him to the grave. He believes Torjus’ disappearance touched everyone’s hearts, and brought people together. – Friends and non-friends walked side by side with a common goal of finding him. It was really great to see. Grimestad believes the little boy’s passing will affect the people in Lyngdal for a long time to come. – He will in no way be forgotten. This is something that will touch us for a long, long time, and that we will remember for the rest of our lives. Konrad Grimestad from Vigeland organized the volunteers who were going out to look for the seven-year-old. Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk / news Heartbreaking The case of Torjus’ disappearance received a lot of attention when the search operation was underway, and pastor Jim Foss says that he has been contacted by people from all over the country afterwards. – We live in a time with a lot of uncertainty on many levels, so I think that people had a need to express love and care. Foss says the last week has been difficult for many. – As a parent, losing a child is the most heartbreaking thing you can experience. So for me as a priest, and a parent myself, this has been very tough. At the same time, he praises the family who, in the midst of all the pain and difficulties, have managed to show care to others around them. – It has been absolutely enormous for me to witness. With most things Family friend and spokesperson Fredrik Nuland Fedog has described Torjus in a previous interview as a travel-loving boy who has been with him since he could sit in a carrier: – Autumn has become an important time of the year. After all, this was a farm boy who was full of energy and imagination. You couldn’t pull a potato out of the ground without him being there. Torjus was a boy who never sat still, he was involved in everything that could happen. Torjus was a farm boy with a lot of imagination and energy, and he rarely sat still. Pictured here on a fishing trip with the family. Photo: private – There are only positive things about him. Torjus was very fond of practical tasks and you couldn’t do anything without him joining in the conversation, or catching up on what was going to happen. He joined when the tractor plowed the land, he drove a four-wheeler on the farm, he handled machines and split wood, Fedog has previously told. Major search operation Seven-year-old Torjus Seland was reported missing after getting away from his family on a hunting trip on Sunday 15 October. A large search operation was launched to find him. Two days later, Torjus (7) was found dead in a wooded area near Langemyr in Lindesnes municipality. The seven-year-old was found under a large rock in the far north of the search area. He had then moved closer to three kilometers as the crow flies from the place where he was last seen. It was a dog patrol from the police that found the boy. The stone cave where he was found has now been named: “Torjus cave”. Several hundred people attended the funeral to show their support for the family. Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk / news
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Said goodbye to Torjus Seland (7) – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
