PARSONS - Services, attended by more than 900 persons, were held Saturday at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church here for a former Osawatomie couple and their five children who lost their lives last Wednesday in a pre-dawn fire at their home.

Dead are Jack Moler, 45; his wife, Rosemary, 40; and their five children, Rick, 17, Anne, 14, James 11, Jane 4, and David, 3.

Survivors include mr. Moler's mother, Mrs. L. R. Moler, 121 Parker Ave., Osawatomie, and a brother, Donald Moler, Charleston, Ill.

Mrs. Moler, who had been reared as a child by Mrs. Ella Chamberlin, formerly of Osawatomie and now a resident of Chetopa, is survived by her father, John L. Sheehan, Paola; and two sisters, Mrs. Pauline Buckner, Overland Park, and Mrs. Elizabeth Williams, Kansas City.

Saturday's funeral, which began at 11 a.m. lasted until well past noon. Six hearses led the long procession to Mound Olivet Cemetery in Parsons.

The Rev. Peter J. Finnegan, pastor of St. Patrick's Catholic Church, said the large crowd was "evidence of the community's feeling for this outstanding family, this really outstanding family."

Moler was chairman of the Parsons Catholic School Board and had been a member of the Wichita Diocese Board of Education for three years.

Moler and his wife were pharmacists. He was a partner in the Slaybaugh Drug Co., and his wife was a hospital pharmacist at the Labette County Medical Center.

Moler was interested in scouting and two months ago revived the Cub Scout unit at St. Patrick's, serving as scoutmaster.

Mrs. Moler was a past president of the Altar Society at St. Patrick's.

Both mr. and Mrs. Moler attended Osawatomie schools as youngsters.

Cause of the disasterous fire is not known.

Fire Chief L. R. Engel said the fire was confined to the kitchen, a one-story addition to an old two-story house the Molers had renovated when they moved in eight years ago.

The seven bodies, all in night clothing, were found in second floor bedrooms. All died of suffocation.

Smoke blackened most of the house and the intense heat shattered decorations on the family's Christmas tree. The gaily wrapped packages beneath were not not damaged.

A neighbor boy, Stephen Reynolds, discovered the fire about 2 a.m. Young Reynolds, a student at the University of Kansas, was studying in the kitchen of his home when he saw flames from the Moler house reflecting in a brass planter. He summoned firemen but they arrived too late.

Mrs. John T. Slayman, Osawatomie, whose husband and Moler were cousins, said the Slaymans received a telehone call from the Molers shortly before midnight Tuesday.

Mrs. Slayman said the family was in fine spirits and she was told the ounger Moler children were all keyed up about Christmas.

The Slaymans were notified a few hours later by a mutual friend in parsons that the Moler family had perished.

Parsons residents called the tragedy one of the worst in this city's history.