SPECIAL MASS IN MEMORY OF TRAGIC ALEXANDER FAMILY
FR SEAN DEVEREUX LEADS TRIBUTES TO AMERICAN FAMILY AT CUSHINSTOWN CHURCH
THE Alexander family members who were killed in a horrific accident outside New Ross in December were remembered at a Mass in Cushinstown on Saturday night.
Doug Alexander (75), his wife Lily (née Ryan) (75), Doug Jnr (52) and Steven Alexander(49) died when their rental car collided with a 40ft articulated lorry at 6.30 p.m. on the N25 New Ross to Wexford road on Monday night, December 4.
They were on their way to the funeral of Lily’s sister Winnie Keevey in St Mary’s Church, Cushinstown, when the accident occurred on Begerin Hill.
At the Mass Fr Sean Devereux thanked the people of the community who supported the Keevey and extended Alexander family at the time of the tragedy.
‘We thank the people within the community and outside of the community who helped the Alexander and Keevey families. We thank the many people who gave of their time, their expertise and their resources generously at the time of the accident up the road during that very dificult time in the history of the parish here in Cushinstown,’ he said,
He said people should constantly try to reach out and help each other, thanking local residents for their unwavering support of the bereaved , while acknowledging the work of the emergency services, and Fr Roger O’Neill for attending the scene.
‘We thank An Garda Siochana and all the others who helped out in any way. I will always remember the goodness of the people of the parish and how nothing was impossible for them at the time,’ he said, adding that people showed the Christian lived faith in the community.
In an acknowledgemenmt last week in this newspaper the Keevey family also thanked the emergency services who attended the accident scnee, Fr O’Neill, Fr Devereux, the New Ross fire service crews and gardaí, especially Garda John Rochford who provided practical and emotional support to the grieving family members.
They thanked their nieghbours, Stephen’s fellow police officers in Chicago and the people from around the world who attended the wake, removal, Mass and cremation. They thanked New Ross Municipal District council for organising a book of condolences, undertaker Joanne Cooney and ‘ to those who helped in any way. Your contribution made our loss more bearable’.