Ashes of tragic pair expected in US today
THE cremated remains of the tourist couple killed in a freak pony-and-trap accident in Kerry are expected to arrive in the US today.
American Joy Few, 64, and her Canadian partner Normand Larose, 62, were cremated at the Island Crematorium in Ringaskiddy, Co. Cork, at the weekend.
Bill Walthers, husband of Joy’s daughter, Tonya Tier, and the couple’s two children accompanied the remains back to the US, after gardaí helped them arrange flights. Joy and Normand were fatally injured when they were thrown from a pony and trap into a ravine along the Gap of Dunloe last Monday.
Following completion of a post mortem on Ms Few and Mr Larose at University Hospital Kerry, Ms Tier arranged with a local undertaker for the remains to be brought for cremation.
It’s understood Ms Tier and her family, who have been supported by a Garda family liaison officer over the past few days, will bring the ashes back to Phoenix, Arizona, for a funeral service with relatives and friends this week.
Today marks a week since the deaths. The couple had travelled to Ireland from their home in Phoenix at Easter with Ms Few’s daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren.
They had been enjoying a family holiday and were staying in the Killarney area.
Mr Larose’s niece Maude Larose said last week that Normand, originally from Quebec, would be sorely missed. She said: ‘My uncle was a very happy person who loved life very much. He always took care of the people he loved, the whole family is shocked by this tragedy. I know he would want us to remember him with his smile and his jokes.’
The couple were in the lead party of three traps carrying family members and were coming down the narrow mountain pass towards Kate Kearney’s Cottage when tragedy struck. The trap driver, referred to locally as a pony man, a local man in his 40s, managed to jump free from it as it careered down the five-metre decline onto the rocks.
The extremely shocked man received medical attention at University Hospital Kerry, and was later released.
Killarney Garda Superintendent Flor Murphy, said a trip of a lifetime in one of the most beautiful parts of the country had turned to sadness.
‘It is very, very sad. It is very, very tragic. We just don’t know why the horse and cart went off the road at that point,’ Supt Murphy said.
He also paid special tribute to the volunteers of the Kerry Mountain Rescue group who helped gardaí in the recovery of the bodies in difficult and challenging conditions.
Supt Murphy extended the condolences of the gardaí and the emergency services and the residents of the Black Valley, to the family and relatives of Ms Few and Mr Larose.