Brothers who died in frozen pond to be remembered this weekend

"I knew they were already gone": Bonham mother grieves loss of three kids in drowning

A mother in Bonham talked to FOX 4 News on her effort to save her three children from drowning in a local pond. Through grief, she's holding on to memories of her boys. FOX 4's Vania Castillo has more.

BONHAM, Texas - Funeral services will be held this weekend for the three young brothers who drowned in an icy pond.

Bonham brothers die in icy pond

What's new:

A visitation service for 6-year-old Howard Doss, 8-year-old Kaleb Doss, and 9-year-old EJ Doss will be held on Saturday in Greenville, followed by a funeral on Sunday.

The family will also honor the boys with a balloon release on Friday afternoon.

The backstory:

The brothers died after falling into an icy pond in Bonham, which is in Fannin County about 65 miles northeast of Dallas.

Their mother, Cheyenne Hangaman, told FOX 4 that 6-year-old Howard fell into the water first. His brothers tried to save him. She also jumped into the water to try to rescue her sons but was unable to.

A local football coach who lives nearby heard the commotion and was able to save the mom. It was too late for the boys.

What they're saying:

Hangaman said she's not surprised the brothers tried to save each other until the very end.

"I expected the other one to try to save the other one and the other one to go after the other one. Yeah, I expected that," she said. "They were mean to each other, but once something happens, it goes down there, right there, for each other."

Through her grief, she shared memories of her sons' distinct personalities.

"My oldest one, EJ—he didn’t care about nothing but football and getting his haircut. He wanted to play sports," she said. "Kaleb’s personality was out of this world; he was the sweetest boy I ever met. And Howard... he was just goofy. He would liven the party. He was the first one who went in and the other boys tried to save him. That’s how they ended up in there."

Mom tried to save 3 boys who died in frozen pond

The mother of the three young boys who died in an icy pond in Bonham talked to FOX 4 about the tragedy. She said she jumped into the water to try to save them. A local football coach had to pull her out.

She also remembers the moments they had together, as well as the ones she wishes for.

"That day I was just kissing Kaleb on his cheeks, and he was just sitting there smiling. Like I was just kissing him for no reason, and he was just like, ‘What are you doing?’" Hangaman continued. "I didn't get to kiss the other ones that day."

Frisco, Ponder students die in sledding accidents

Vigil to be held for Frisco teens killed in sledding accident

A prayer vigil is planned for Thursday night in Frisco to honor the lives of two Frisco teenagers who were killed in a sledding accident last weekend. FOX 4's Steven Dial has more on what the vigil will entail.

In addition to the three brothers from Bonham, three other North Texas children died during the winter storm.

On Thursday night, Ponder High School senior football player Caden Nowicki died in the hospital after sustaining serious injuries in a sledding accident. The 17-year-old fell out of a kayak, which was being used as a sled and pulled behind an ATV.

Also in Frisco, two 16-year-old students at Wakeland High School died after their sled, which was being pulled by a Jeep, crashed into a tree. Family members said Elizabeth Angle and Grace Brito were best friends.

The Source: The information in this story comes from the family of the Doss brothers, as well as past news coverage.

Texas Winter Weather

The Brief

Bonham brothers die in icy pond

Frisco, Ponder students die in sledding accidents