Fire victim's parents break silence

DEFIANCE, Ohio (WANE) --- - Imagine sending your child away for their first year at school and losing him or her before it's over.

That's the devastating reality for Martha and Paul Punches. Friday marked the tragic four month anniversary of their only child Lara's death.

"She was a good kid," Martha told NewsChannel 15. "She never gave us any troubles."
Paul added,"She was very lovable. She would make friends pretty easily."

For Martha and Paul it's been four long months trying to accept the sudden loss; four months without the "I love you's", the text messages and daily phone calls you might expect from a teen away at school for the first time.

Martha says,"We were very close, but I don't want to say that we lived in each others pockets."

19-year-old Lara was full of life. She loved playing in the band, golfing in high school and she really loved animals. That passion is what ultimately led her to choose the Vet Tech program at the International Business College in Fort Wayne.

Her parents say leaving for school marked her first time living away from their home in Defiance, Ohio.

Paul said,"I knew she was only an hour away, if she needed something we could just jump in the truck and go."

"She was so excited, she just couldn't wait to get to school," said Martha."We wanted her to experience life and life is going to college."

Martha and Paul made the drive to visit Lara often, but the Wednesday before the fire would be the last time they'd see her alive.

The night before the tragedy, Martha and Lara exchanged emails and chatted on the phone before saying goodbye.

Martha recalls,"She said 'I love you' and I said 'I love you too'...then the fire broke out the next morning."

In the early morning hours of January 23rd, Martha would hear from her daughter one last time. Lara frantically called home as fire consumed her apartment building.

"At least I did get to talk to her those last few minutes, but it was only a few words, then she started coughing and passed out, too much smoke in the room," Martha told NewsChannel 15.

Lara and two of her roommates were rushed to the hospital, while Martha and Paul raced to Fort Wayne.

"We never realized how bad it was, it was just a shock to us," said Paul.

Both of her roommates died because of that fire. 19-year-old Jennifer Spurgeon, from Winamac and 18-year-old Renea Patton of Ottawa, Ohio died from smoke inhalation.

20 days later Lara also died from the smoke inhalation, without ever regaining consciousness.

"God took a counting of the angels and decided he was missing three, so he decided to take three more," Martha said.

Through it all, Martha and Paul have clung to their faith, saying prayers and community support made all the difference.

Then, there are the little things that help them remember Lara: a class ring worn around Martha's neck and the stuffed pandas Lara loved sprawled around their home.

"We know she's in a better place. I knew that right from the beginning, that whatever happened, it was God's will and we could get through it," Paul told NewsChannel 15.

Both mom and dad say they'll remember her big smile and how she touched others lives for 19 years. Even through her death, Lara is helping other people live.

"She decided when she got her drivers license she would be an organ donor, so as a result of that Lara can help up to 100 people with her donations," said Martha. "Just feeling part of her might still be alive, somehow, that's an awesome feeling."

While they miss the phone calls, the text messages, and the 'I love you's', Paul and Martha believe one day they'll see their precious daughter once again.

"She was special, she really was," says Martha. "Someday I'll see her again. To her it'll be a second, to me it will be an eternity, but I'll see her again and I'll cherish that day, I really will."

Martha says friends are planning a charity golf tournament in Lara's honor.

It's tentatively scheduled for sometime in July, in Lara's hometown of Defiance, Ohio.

NewsChannel 15 will pass along the details as they come in.