Hundreds remember couple killed in south side explosion

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Hundreds lined up to pay their respects to Jennifer and Dion Longworth Sunday evening. The Longworths were killed in the south side explosion last Saturday night.

Some waited for more than an hour at Wilson St. Pierre funeral home in Greenwood to honor the couple.

Fourth-grader Tanner Lovins and his mom attended the visitation. Tanner had Mrs. Longworth for second grade at Southwest Elementary in Greenwood. He brought a hat she hand-knit for all her students for Christmas.

“She was a nice teacher. She did a lot of stuff for me,” said Tanner.

“She was one of the best teachers we’ve had at Southwest. She really touched him,” said Heidi Lovins.

Jennifer Longworth taught second grade for twelve years.

Her husband Dion was into technology and electronics, and had worked at Indy Audio Labs as the director of product development and technology.

Jennifer Schick had only met Jennifer Longworth once, but came to pay her respects Sunday.

“The line is amazing,” Schick said. “It’s just great to see that outpouring of love for the family…

The stories I’ve heard about her. She was meticulous. She loved her children and her classroom. She was very, very dedicated.”

Dennis Riggs knows Dion Longworth’s father, and discussed the outpouring of support from the community.

“It shows how it’s hurt the community, and it shows they were a big part of the community. It shows how much the community does care, and how we come together in times of need like this,” Riggs said.

There will be no school Monday at Southwest Elementary, so teachers and students can attend the memorial mass for the couple.

It will be held at Saint Barnabas Catholic Church in Indianapolis at 10 a.m. Monday.

That is where the couple was married.

The investigation into the cause of the explosion is still ongoing.

Public Safety Director Troy Riggs says investigators have recovered items that could hold the answer. This weekend, more manpower was added to the investigative team, and more machinery was brought in to examine the debris.