Kelly Marie Lynch was 'loved more than she will ever know'

A stunned silence screamed to the sky as a grieving community and a shattered family came to say a final sad farewell to Kelly Marie Lynch in a packed Holy Cross Church in Lisnaskea on Friday, March 22.

The body of the 23-year-old was recovered from the Ulster Canal on St. Patrick’s Day and was followed by the discovery of a second body of a man in his 20s on a laneway on the outskirts of Monaghan town just before 8am on Wednesday.

Kelly, who was “born on the loveliest of September evenings” was a graceful blue-eyed girl whose smile could brighten the darkest days.

It was entirely fitting that they sang 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' as that is where she is now.

A large black and white photo of Kelly was brought to the altar where snowdrops, the eternal flower of Spring, were strewn over a stand.

But the forever young flower of the Lynch family has been taken long, long before her time.

In a deeply moving and sensitive homily, Canon Jimmy McPhillips told a large crowd that the past week or so had been “devastating with so many questions unanswered and so much uncertainty over Kelly’s tragic death".

“But it was also a week when her family had been surrounded by so much love and so much hope and comfort at this terrible time.”

He added that Kelly had a short life, but it had impacted so many people and those who ever met her.

“And while you, her family, are feeling totally lost as Christians we have faith in God’s love and God’s compassion and he is God of mercy and one who assures us that death is not the end of the story and we entrust Kelly’s gentle soul into his hands.”

Canon McPhillips said the whole community was full of sorrow and pain but if we are wise we know “that there is always tomorrow.”

He referenced the song 'Lean On Me' which was played just before the homily and it spoke to where “we find ourselves here this morning".

“But we are also in God’s house, in his presence and this awareness should give us comfort, a little light and a little hope also in the midst of this unbelievable happening.

“On Sunday afternoon Kelly’s family and this community have been forced into recognizing some very hard realities of life.

“We have been forcefully reminded that life is not fair and sometimes people die far too young and far too tragically.

“We have been brought face to face with this reality and we have no choice but to deal with it.

“We have to choose how we will respond to Kelly’s death.

“One of our choices is to express our sorrow, our anger, our grief and our disbelief.”

He said there was a sense of terrible loss and confusion and asked why did this happen to Kelly and why did it happen to her family.

“We wonder what life is going to be like without her but there are no answers now to this devastating blow.

“Another choice we have is to share the stories and memories of Kelly as you have done since Sunday last.

“People knew her in different ways as a devoted daughter, a devoted sister an adored granddaughter niece and loyal friend.

“And in sharing those stories we have a chance to balance the grief and think of happier times amidst the pain.

“Another choice we can make is - would we in our grief view Kelly with hope or despair?

“How can we have hope, and it does not make sense at the moment?

“But there is one way and that is true faith and as Christians, we are told that the moment of death is when God calls to take us home.

“And we have faith that Kelly was not alone at the moment that she died.”

He added: “Nothing can separate us from God and not even death.”

Canon McPhillips said “perhaps you find this all too difficult here this morning.

“Perhaps you disagree with me and it is easy for me to talk about faith and hope and God and you might ask where is God right now.

“But that goes back to the song 'Lean On Me' which says 'lean on me when you are not strong, I’ll be your friend, I’ll help you carry on'.

“At times like this God speaks these words to Kelly’s family and the community.

“God is not there to stop the tragedies in life from happening, but he is there to help us to climb out of the dark and deep valley even when our world is falling around us.

“There is so much grief and hurt here but we are not alone in our grief.”

He added that he was also aware of the great loss Kelly was going to be for the family where she was at her happiest.

Kelly would have been 24 in September, had she lived.

She lived in Portsmouth in her early life and came back to Lisnaskea for primary and secondary school education.

“She was amazing with children and childcare was probably the path she would have taken.

“Kelly had a nurturing nature about her which enabled her to be at the level of children and home and family was all she needed, and she adored her grandparents.

“As a daughter, Julianne and Sean you could not have asked for better and your tribute to her is beautiful.

“And you spoke about her great smile and her eyes even smiled when she smiled.

“You told me about her love for style and music, drum and bass music.

“Kelly also loved her long eyelashes, and she loved nature and indeed the supernatural and liked 'The Vampire Diaries'.

“She was grounded and gracious and by nature she was shy.

“You also said to her friends to remember her from the good times and not the tragic way she left this life behind her.”

Meanwhile in a beautiful tribute printed on the back of the Mass leaflet Julieanne and Sean said: “Our darling little Kelly you were loved more than you will ever know and our whole world revolved around you and your siblings, and nothing will ever be the same again.

“Born on the loveliest of September evenings, you came into this world, a bundle of joy and filled our hearts with so much promise.

“Nothing can compare to those feelings and nothing ever will, your heart your soul, your grace all the things that made you unique have placed an imprint on all those who ever knew and loved you so.

“We can’t fathom a world without you as it feels unnatural and cruel.

“But every time we hear your name, we smile, we cry and remember the blue-eyed girl who promised to never leave our side.

“And though our hearts are heavy, we know your promise is true, because our darling Kelly, we feel you in every breath you take and that alone heals the wound in your absence."

They added: “A special thanks to our entire family and the community for their sincerity and generosity in our grief.

"Both Sean and I are overwhelmed in the outpouring of love shown for Kelly, and although this tragedy has impacted our life greatly, we take solace in knowing that our sorrow is shared.

"God Bless, Julieanne and Sean."

After mass Kelly was taken for burial in the adjoining cemetery.

Forever young and forever loved.