A funeral will be held Friday for 1-year-old Rian N'Kole Davis, who was struck by a car backing out of a driveway a few houses from her grandfather on Fernhill Avenue, near Erie County Medical Center. She died that evening on July 7.
Her grandfather is Lenny Lane, a retired firefighter who founded Buffalo Fathers, which began patrolling in front of the Arthur O. Eve School of Distinction after a stray bullet landed in a classroom there, killing Lane's youngest daughter Danielle in 2000.
Over the years, Lane estimates he has attended more than 1,000 funerals in the community, including many because of guns and gangs.
The wake and funeral for his granddaughter will be held at Prince of Peace Temple on Kensington Avenue in Buffalo at 11 a.m. Lane will be dressed in white to symbolize his "angel," as he attends “the toughest funeral of my life. I only pray that God will get me through the day.”
After the funeral and burial at ElmLawn Cemetery there will be a huge party with donated bounce houses, games and food for the neighborhood kids, family and friends to celebrate the toddler's life.
“She loved life,” Lane said. “She was always smiling and so much fun to be around. So instead of tears of sorrow we will have tears of joy for her and we will fill the front of the church with her favorite stuffed animals and toys.”
