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Slain Couple Who Died at Pittsburgh Synagogue Where They Married 62 Years Earlier Laid to Rest

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People pay their respects at a memorial outside the Tree of Life synagogue after a shooting there left 11 people dead in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 29, 2018. Bernice and Sylvan Simon, married 62 years, were laid to rest Thursday.BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI—AFP/Getty Images
By TIME Staff

The son of a couple killed in the Pittsburgh synagogue attack says his parents were a “beacon of light” whose example can help “eliminate the hate that led to their untimely deaths.”

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that hundreds of mourners attended the funeral for Sylvan and Bernice Simon on Thursday.

They were among the 11 victims of the weekend attack at Tree of Life synagogue.

The Simons were married at Tree of Life 62 years ago.

Marc Simon, says “our lives were shattered” when his parents were “senselessly, brutally and savagely murdered.”

Family members recalled the Simons as warm and welcoming and dedicated to their faith and each other.

The suspect in the slayings has pleaded not guilty.

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