Family and friends gathered in Pelham Friday for a heart-wrenching goodbye to the couple killed in a freak car accident.

Forty-six-year-old Dr. Joseph Stavola and his 44-year-old wife, Jean Serocke, died Saturday when a tree fell through their car windshield. The two were driving on the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut at the time of the accident. Their children, 8-year-old James and 7-year-old William, were in the backseat and survived.

While people mourned the loss of the couple at Our Lady of Perpetual Help church, their thoughts also turned to the future of the children. Friends said Stavola and Serocke had successful careers, but most of all they were devoted parents. The boys? uncle in Connecticut will take care of them from now on.

An investigation is under way to figure out why the tree fell. Another tree fell in the same area back in May.

Related Information James and William Stavola Supplemental Needs Trust c/o James Horan 138 Barn Hill Lane Newington, Conn. 06111