Couple devastated by sons' deaths

ROBBINSDALE (AP) -- The parents of two boys who died after they fell through thin ice into a pond are devastated and their relatives are praying for the couple's youngest son to recover, the boys' grandmother said.

"It is very hard for all of us to talk about it," Carol Ostendorf said, her voice choking as she talked briefly about her grandsons, Shawn and Cody Ostendorf.

Shawn, 5, and Cody, 6, died hours after they broke through the thin ice covering a pond behind their house in rural Anoka County on Tuesday. Mark, 2, remained in critical condition at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale.

Doctors told the parents, Ron and Marie Ostendorf, on Wednesday that the next 48 hours would be crucial for Mark, so they were waiting for one more day to see how he would do, Carol Ostendorf said Thursday.

Memorial fund information: Cody and Shawn Ostendorf Memorial Fund, c/o Sterling State Bank, 3550 River Rapids Drive N.W., Coon Rapids, MN 55488

The parents "are very devastated," Carol Ostendorf said. She and her husband were helping out by handling the funeral arrangements.

Shawn and Cody died from hypothermia and accidental drowning, the Hennepin County medical examiner's office said.

"It's been very hard. We need to get through the funeral and things," the grandmother said.

"My kids always said, 'Grandma, you are spoiling them.' I'd say no, I'm loving them. They were good kids. They just made some bad choices."

The Ostendorfs have a fourth son, Cole, 8, who was not involved in the accident.

The family is grateful for all the food, donations and support from friends and relatives, she said. She also said hospital workers have been great: doctors, nurses, even security guards who "helped us find our car -- we lost it because we were so upset."

The boys' funeral will be Saturday at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Oak Grove. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery in Anoka.