Husband searches for answers to the sudden death of his garda wife
THE grieving husband of a Limerick garda, who died earlier this year, has said he misses her “every day”.
Garda Annette Ahern (37), of Murroe, Co Limerick, passed away suddenly on September 10 from an unknown illness.
Annette’s husband Gary Ahern told the Irish Independent that her death had come as a “massive shock”.
He said: “I was out of the country working when I got a call to say that Annette had died suddenly. I had just been speaking to her that morning.
“A friend of her’s went over to the house to visit and Annette was unresponsive, leaning on the counter top.
“We have no idea what happened to her.”
Gary said Annette had not been suffering from any illnesses and the family was now awaiting a post-mortem examination report from the coroner.
He explained: “It’s more difficult not knowing what happened to Annette. We need answers.
“We’re trying to come to terms with it, but we don’t know what happened.”
He said his late wife was “loved more than she knew” and that hundreds of people attended her removal and funeral.
He continued: “The gardaí have been a huge support for me and Annette’s family.
“Annette was a treasured member of An Garda Síochána and we all miss her terribly.”
Gary also praised the local community in Annette’s home town of Mitchelstown, Co Cork, saying the whole town had shut down on the day of her funeral.
“The whole town went into mourning and shops were closed. It showed how much Annette was loved,” he said.
Gary and Annette married in 2016 and were looking forward to their new lives together.
“Annette was a girl I could bring to any party or celebration and everyone would love her. It was love at first sight,” he said.
“She had the biggest smile and the biggest heart.”
Gary also described Annette as “headstrong” and recalled how she had fought her way into An Garda Síochána.
“She was half an inch too short for the gardaí and she was devastated.
“Her father will tell you how stubborn she could be and he managed to convince her to apply again when restrictions were changed.
“Annette was amazing, she was the love of my life and I miss her every day.”
‘It’s more difficult not knowing what happened to Annette – we the family need answers’