Van attack victim had a big heart, family says
The family of a 30-year-old woman who was among those killed in last week’s van attack in Toronto says she would have wanted people to care for one another in the aftermath of the tragedy.
In a statement read by a friend outside Anne Marie D’amico’s funeral on Wednesday, her family said she was a warm person with a big heart.
“Like spring time, 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 by friend John Simonetti.
“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 was among 10 people killed last week when a rental van climbed a sidewalk in a north Toronto neighbourhood and ran into pedestrians in its path.
She worked at Invesco Canada, a U.s.-based investment firm with offices near the scene of the attack, and has been described as a cheerful, friendly person and a dedicated volunteer.
“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. 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. Mourners packed the pews of a Toronto church where D’amico’s funeral was held.
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 related to those injured in the attack.