West Virginia Florists Make Heartfelt Arrangements For Miners' Funerals

In the aftermath of the West Virginia mine explosion which claimed the lives of 25 coal miners, and left others missing, local florists are pouring their hearts into arrangements to honor the fallen coal miners.

The Los Angeles Times reports, the staff at Jay Roles Floral stayed into the night on April 8 to prepare over 90 arrangements of lilies, roses and other flowers for Friday's funerals.

"My father was a coal miner. My husband was a coal miner. My son is a coal miner now. This is our way of life," says [Linda] Toler, the acting manager. "This is our role. You want to do your best for these families because you think, 'This could be me.'"

Another Jay Roles Floral employee, Melanie Showalter, explains that she is moved by the story of each miner that was killed, even the ones she had never met.

"I don't think anybody in this area thinks of anybody as a stranger, especially when it comes to the coal mines," says Showalter, 38, of Cool Ridge. "Everybody has had somebody who worked in the mines."