Toronto van attack victim, 30, remembered for her big heart
TORONTO — A 30-year-old woman who was among those killed in last week’s van attack in Toronto was remembered Wednesday as someone who was humble about her achievements and always worked to help others.
Anne Marie D’Amico, who was the first of the 10 people killed to be publicly identified, was laid to rest following a funeral service at the church she attended with her family.
Her brother delivered an emotional eulogy ahead of a Catholic mass at which mourners packed the pews.
“She brought so much warmth and comfort to others,” Nick D’Amico said of his younger sister. “She would go the extra mile showing she cared. She continually did things that had enormous impact because she did everything with her whole heart.”
Hundreds of people — those who knew D’Amico and those who did not — filled the church and spilled into an overflow area to commemorate the young woman, who worked at Invesco Canada, a U.S.-based investment firm with offices near the scene of the attack.
Before the service began, D’Amico’s family issued a call for others to care for each other in the wake of last week’s tragedy, saying it was what she would have wanted.
“Like springtime, Anne Marie also had a lightness about her, a warmth and a way of being that we miss beyond words and feel deep in our hearts,” said the family’s statement, read out by friend John Simonetti ahead of the funeral.
“We believe it is our obligation to all those affected by this tragedy, especially to those who died, to be better to one another … that is what Anne Marie would have wanted.”
D’Amico’s family also said they were praying for the loved ones of the others who died last week, as well as for the family of the man charged in the incident.
“We cannot bring back Anne Marie, nor the others that have passed. What we can do, however, is hold on to the kindness, acceptance and the unwavering collective good of our great city,” her family said.
“Anne Marie had a big heart. We have faith that Toronto does, too, and we hope that going forward, as broken hearts heal, we will have conversations. Conversations about how we will collectively learn from this tragedy.”
Funerals have already been held for Dorothy Sewell, 80, Geraldine Brady, 83, and 85-year-old Munir Najjar. Alek Minassian, 25, of Richmond Hill, Ont., has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder and 13 of attempted murder.