Funeral expenses for Josh Burch

Tragedy struck in the early hours of June 25th for our dear family member, friend, and coworker Melissa Ovalle (and family) as her oldest son, Joshua Burch, 29, was killed on his way home from work by a reckless* driver (*It has been determined that alcohol was not a factor, however other drug testing is pending. The per the event data recorder in the car, the driver that hit Josh was speeding at 83 mph) in Lansing. (https://www.wlns.com/news/1-killed-after-car-crashes-into-lansing-home/)

As most of us know, Melissa’s family lost their home a couple years ago to a fire that was financially devastating and have been working so very hard to rebuild. Melissa and her family are now faced with the unexpected loss and burial of their loved one. Funeral expenses will be between $8,000 and $10,000 (see 6/28 update). Please help bear the family’s financial burden of having to bury Josh. They will be so grateful for every donation given during this difficult time.

Funeral arrangements have been posted in the updates section.

Thank you on behalf of the Burch and Ovalle families,

Betsy Lehner

6/27/22

Hello Donors and Visitors, 

Per the request of GoFundMe, I’ve been asked to clarify the following information in order for Melissa and family to receive the money donated. I appreciate the due diligence of GFM to make sure funds raised are utilized appropriately, however, I do apologize, as I do not mean for this post to take away from the focus on the Burch and Ovalle families. 

 1. My name is Elizabeth (Betsy) Lehner, and I am a friend and coworker of Melissa. She and I have known each other almost 5 years, and have shared many a meal with her and her family. This is the second GFM I’ve set up to help Melissa, as the first one was when her home burned down. 

2. Per Melissa’s request, any donations received will be transferred to my bank account and then transferred to Melissa via PayPal or Venmo or in person with cash. This is how we transferred the donations for the last fundraiser. When I asked Melissa if she would like the money transferred directly to her account, she declined at the time saying she wasn’t in the right mindset to try to figure it all out. 

3. Once I begin receiving the donations, have no issue providing proof that the money has been given to Melissa. It is my intention to be as transparent as possible to those who have donated their money. 

Thank you, 

Betsy