Lomer and pauline johnson obituary

STAMFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A charity started by a man whose three daughters were killed in a Connecticut fire on Christmas morning in 2011 says he has died at the age of 51.

The death of Matthew Badger was announced Thursday by the Lily Sarah Grace Fund. It did not provide further details.

"We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of Matthew Badger," the fund wrote on Facebook.

His ex-wife Madonna posted, "His death was sudden and peaceful. He is with his children, and his parents, and his brother...My heart is broken. But also joyous that they are together."

The fire at a Victorian home in Stamford owned by the children's mother, New York advertising executive Madonna Badger, killed 7-year-old twins Grace and Sarah Badger, 9-year-old Lily Badger and their maternal grandparents, Lomer and Pauline Johnson, formerly of Louisville, Kentucky.

Two years ago Badger spoke with CBS2's Cindy Hsu about his daughters.

"One thing about Lily, Sarah, and Grace is that they were happy and they were joyous and they were creative, and had tremendous energy," he said at the time.

He said without the girls he had lost purpose and value in life, and needed to find a way to honor them, so he started the fund to give supplies to underserved public elementary schools across the country. He said all three girls had dyslexia and he know the importance of giving teachers and students the resources they need.

"It does make me feel proud of the girls. It makes me feel like I they have a legacy here," he said at the time.

Madonna Badger and her boyfriend at the time, Michael Borcina, escaped the flames.

Borcina, a contractor, had been renovating the house. Matthew Badger filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Borcina, his construction company, other contractors and the city of Stamford.

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• Mother and male friend escaped from fire that claimed lives of her three children and their two grandparents
  

• Body of grandfather Lomer Johnson, who worked as a Sak's Fifth Avenue Santa Claus, was found on roof outside one of the girl's bedrooms

• Embers from a Christmas Yule log may have caused the fire

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Updated:

A grandfather who perished in a Christmas day blaze that claimed the lives of his wife and three grandchildren died trying to save one of the young girls, fire officials said.

Lomer Johnson, 71, had climbed out of a bedroom window at his daughter's Stamford, Connecticut home and was helping one of his grandchildren onto the roof when he was overcome by the flames.

The body of Mr Johnson, who had worked his 'dream job' as a department store Santa Claus since his retirement, was found covered in fire debris outside an open third-story window, fire officials said.

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Approaching the one-year anniversary of the Christmas house fire that claimed the lives of her three young daughters and her parents, Madonna Badger believes her girls are still with her every day -- in her dreams.

Badger lost daughters Lily, 9, twins Grace and Sarah, 7, and her parents, Lomer Johnson, 71, and Pauline Johnson, 69, when a blaze started in her Stamford, Conn., home at 5 a.m. on Christmas Day last year. She has been to three mental institutions and has been plagued by thoughts of suicide since the tragedy, but found the strength to go on thanks to the memories of her little girls.

“I’ve seen my children in my dreams,’’ Badger told Matt Lauer on TODAY Thursday. “When I pray, I see my children. Lily came to me very early on and said, ‘Don’t worry, Mommy, I’m right there in your heart and I love you.’ Once when I was having a level 10, the worst sort of crisis, (where it) feels like blood is coming out of my eyes, Sarah came to me in the mirror and she said, ‘Mommy, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Everything is going to be OK.’’’

Badger admitted that the visions of her children troubled her somewhat at first.

“Honestly, I thought I was delusional,’’ she said. “ I thought I was a little nuts.’’

What made her believe in the visions was reading the book “Proof of Heaven’’ by Dr. Eben Alexander, which details his near-death experience and makes a scientist’s case for the afterlife.

In the immediate aftermath of the fire, Badger admitted to feeling guilty whenever she smiled or felt happy, given what had happened. 

"I’m shocked that I’m doing OK, but I’m doing really well,'' she said. "I don’t feel that way (anymore). I mostly don’t feel that way because when I do feel happy, when I do feel joyful, it’s when I kind feel the presence of my children and my mom and dad the most."

While her immediate family was lost in the fire, a large network of extended family and friends has been there to help h

The grandfather of three girls trapped in their burning home on Christmas morning died as he climbed the roof to try to save one of them, officials revealed Tuesday. The girls and their grandmother also perished in what investigators concluded was a tragic accident started by fireplace embers.

Lomer Johnson apparently collapsed outside the window of a bedroom, Stamford Fire Chief Antonio Conte told reporters.

It appears he had been planning to help the child get out; she had been placed on a pile of books, so he could reach in and grab her, officials said.

"When he went out the window, that's when he succumbed and she died just inside the window," Conte said.

"He died on the outside, and she died on the inside," Conte said. "She was right next to him."

Lomer Johnson had appeared as Santa at Saks Fifth Avenue's flagship store in Manhattan. His daughter, homeowner Madonna Badger, a New York City ad executive, survived along with Michael Borcina, described as her boyfriend, who was staying with her while helping remodel the Victorian house.

Sometime between 3 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, a friend staying in the home put fireplace ashes in a bag and left it either in or outside a mudroom and trash enclosure attached to the rear of the house, said Barry Callahan, Stamford's fire marshal. The fire was reported just after 4:40 a.m.

"The fire entered the house quickly and spread throughout the first floor and up two interior vertical openings, trapping the occupants on the upper floors," Callahan said.

Officials described a frantic scene after rescuers arrived early Sunday.

Neighbors said they were awakened by screams shortly before 5 a.m. and rushed outside to help but could do nothing as flames devoured the large Victorian home.

Conte said the children's mother had climbed out a window onto scaffolding and then a flat roof. She was screaming for her children and pointed firefighters to the third