Mother marks 1 year after twins' deaths in St. Charles

ST. CHARLES – Photos of her girls dominate Anjum Coffland's Facebook page.

There’s Tiffany and Brittany Coffland in poufy gowns with glittery bodices, their feet in silver strappy shoes; smiling with their fingers in a 1960s peace sign; in pajamas standing in front of a lighted Christmas tree.

On March 10, it will be a year to the day that the St. Charles community was shaken to its core: Randall Coffland had shot his 16-year-old twin daughters to death, shot his wife Anjum Coffland in the legs, then took his own life.

Anjum Coffland said she chooses to remember her daughters as they were – happy and smiling – rather than dwelling on the horrific circumstances of their deaths.

And in that light, she is hosting a small ceremony with friends at the cemetery where they are buried.

“I just want to cover their graves with flowers,” Anjum Coffland said. “I have a lot of people coming. A lot of Brittany’s friends from out of state are staying with me.”

It is understandable that Anjum Coffland doesn’t want to be alone on that day – or on what would have been the girls’ 18th birthday on March 14.

So on that day, she is hosting an open house birthday party for them from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Baker Community Center, 101 S. Second St., St. Charles.

“I called the police and fire and St. Charles East and I’m letting everybody know,” Anjum Coffland said. “We will have cake and coffee and photo albums and pictures of them.”

She ordered a huge birthday cake from the Blue Goose Market, where Brittany Coffland had worked.

“I want to do this and thank the city of St. Charles for all of their support,” Anjum Coffland said. “It’s my way of thanking everyone. … I don’t know what I would have done without their support. There are people afterward that I am grateful for. I don’t think I would be where I’m standing today without them.”

Anjum Coffland said she is also grateful for continuing support from the school community, as St. Charles East students are planning a Saints Remembering Saints Walk-A-Thon from 1 to 3 p.m. March 18 at the sports complex.

Anjum Coffland said the purpose is to raise money for three memorial benches.

“They are for Brittany and Tiffany Coffland and for another student who died a week later, Kody Dietrich,” she said. “It’s for all three of them. They want to do a bench for the school and have enough money left over for a one-time scholarship.”

Gun control

Also for her daughters, Anjum Coffland said she will stand with St. Charles East students when they participate in the National School Walkout, where students, faculty, parents and supporters plan to walk out at 10 a.m. March 14 and stand in silence for 17 minutes for the victims of the Parkland, Fla., shooting.

Organized by the Women's March Youth EMPOWER, the walkout is a call to Congress for legislation to prevent gun violence in school, at home, on the streets and in houses of worship, according to its website, www.actionnetwork.org.

“I really want to voice my opinion on the gun lobby,” Anjum Coffland said. “My girls would have been alive if my husband had to wait months to get this gun. He got it legally at a gun store. … This is something I’m very passionate about.”

A spokesman for GAT Guns Inc., in Dundee Township, said a background check can take from a few minutes to a few days – depending on whether the name is a common one or if the Illinois State Police are backed up on requests.

Also, according to the Illinois State Police website, www.sp.state.il.us, the waiting period for a handgun is 72 hours.

Focusing on happy memories

Anjum Coffland still lives in St. Charles, two streets away from the condo where they were shot.

“I love that I live so close to the building where they passed away,” Anjum Coffland said. “They were so happy here. They loved their community and they loved their friends. I remember they were happy. I remember the happy times. This place reminds me of them in downtown St. Charles they loved it. They were so happy here. … I’m remembering them the best way possible.”