ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – A Rockford family lost two loved ones in five days — first a mother to cancer, then her son in a house fire at the same home where relatives had just gathered to remember her.
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Kathie Hammonds, 72, died peacefully at home Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, after battling terminal cancer. On Thursday, Oct. 23, family members met at her Horton Street home she shared with her husband Edward to remember her life.
The next morning, fire swept through the house at 2729 Horton Street around 8:45 a.m. Edward Sr., his son Edward Jr., and the family dog Bear were inside when flames erupted.
Rockford firefighters responded within four minutes and brought the fire under control within 20 minutes, but Edward Jr. was taken to a hospital where he died from smoke inhalation. Bear also died in the fire. Edward Sr. survived but is now displaced from his home.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Fire officials estimate $30,000 in damage to the property…