POWELL, Ohio — A mother and daughter from Powell died in a Wisconsin house fire along with four other family members on Sunday.
According to the Juneau County Sheriff's Office, 38-year-old Charis Kuehl died during an apparent accidental house fire on June 30. A joint statement from the Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Green Bay and Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod President Mark Schroeder identified three of the other five family members as 5-year-old Stella Kuehl, Charis' daughter; 66-year-old Steve Witte, Charis' father; and 35-year-old Lydia Witte, Charis' sister. Two nieces, ages 2 and 8, also died.
Sarah Jackett, a dear friend of Charis, said she was shocked when she heard about what happened.
"It's just been really hard to process, to comprehend, such a horrific tragedy for so many people,” Jackett said.
Jackett said Charis was her first real mom friend. They met at the Powell YMCA about six years ago.
"We were pregnant at the same time with our third babies, and I remember telling her at the YMCA and she like immediately perked up and went, 'oh my gosh, I'm pregnant too!' Her little girl was born on my birthday,” Jacket said.
Jackett said the last time she saw Charis and Stella was two weeks ago when they celebrated her birthday and Stella’s birthday by going out to breakfast.
Thursday would have been Charis’ 39th birthday.
Jackett said she is remembering her friend as a good listener who was always there for others.
"A lot of times people will say, 'she's such a nice person,' but like she literally was the nicest person and so easy to talk to,” Jackett said.
Jackett is also remembering Charis’ daughter, Stella’s fiery spirit.
"She was definitely the feisty one of her kids, but also was like, princess polite [and] would clean up after herself,” Jackett said.
Charis’ husband, Stephen, a Lutheran minister at Shepherd of Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Powell, survived the fire along with their two other daughters, Norah and Vera. The family had plans to move to Minnesota in the coming weeks as Stephen had accepted a new position within their church system.
Now, as the community looks to support the Kuehl family, Jackett said she’s holding close the memories, her faith and the lessons Charis taught her.
"I think that was the biggest thing she taught me is just don't be afraid to say yes and be there for people and jump in and do things and don't miss out,” Jackett said.
Church officials say Steve Witte, one of those who died, served as a pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Wisconsin and as a missionary in Thailand.
The Rev. Larry Schlomer, WELS World Missions Administrator, told WMTV-TV that the family was holding a get-together at the house when the fire broke out. The news outlet also reported that Steve Witte ran inside the burning home to save his grandchildren.
According to the GoFundMe, monetary donations will help with immediate needs and schooling costs for Charis' two other daughters. If you'd like to support the family, here's a link to that fundraiser page. Friends of Charis also organized another GoFundMe that can be found here.
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