Hudson Memorials Held

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Nov 3, 2008 4:00PM

Hundreds of mourners gathered yesterday for a public memorial honoring Jennifer Hudson's slain family members: her mother Darnell Hudson Donerson, brother Jason Hudson, and nephew Julian King. The public service followed a private service attended by extended family and close friends at Pleasant Gift Missionary Baptist Church in Hyde Park. Afterwards, members of the public were able to file through the church signing sympathy cards and viewing images of the victims. Friends, coworkers, and classmates shared stories about the victims and remembered them with jokes and stories. Cousin Shari Sweat said of Donerson, "She taught me how to shake a tail feather. She had a soft voice, but you should not let that fool you. She was a great debater." Julian's teacher Carmen Williams told mourners, "When Julian raised his hand in class, he had that enthusiastic look in his eye. And he always, always had the right answer."

Today, another private service will be held at Apostolic Church of God, 6320 S. Dorchester. The closed-casket service is invite-only and many celebrities, including Oprah, Patti LaBelle, Usher, and Missy Elliot are expected to attend, as is Mayor Daley.

And in case you were wondering, person of interest William Balfour still hasn't been charged with anything and is being held on violation of his parole. Kind of like he should have been this summer when he was caught possessing $100 worth of cocaine.

Image of Julian and Darnell from Jennifer Hudson's MySpace page