Tragic Alexander family laid to rest in their US home town
THE FOUR members of the Alexander family who were killed in the horrific accident on the N25 at Begerin Hill – were laid to rest in Illinois on Saturday following a funeral service.
Building contractor Doug Alexander, from Tyrone, his wife, Lily from Patrickswell, Limerick, and their sons, Stephen P. Alexander, an award-winning Bolingbrook police officer, and Doug Jnr, a talented musician, were laid to rest following prayers at Thompson & Kuenster Funeral Home on Friday afternoon and evening, and their funeral Mass at St. Gerald Church in Oak Lawn early the following morning.
There were heartbreaking scenes at the service for the family – who mourners were told, lived the American dream – which took place a mere nine days before Christmas.
Doug, Lily, Doug Jnr and Stephen were killed when their rental 5 series BMW collided with a 40ft articulated lorry at Begerin Hill at 6.30 p.m. on Monday, December 4. The vehicle was struck on its side and was driven into a high embankment further down the road. The four family members had travelled together to attend the funeral of Lily’s sister Winifred Keevey in Cushinstown and had met their relations earlier that day. They had stopped off at their hotel, prior to making their short journey to Cushinstown.
Garda technical investigations are continuing into the cause of the crash.
Members of the Keevey family from Lacken made the difficult journey with the remains of Doug (75), Lily (75), Doug Jnr (52) and Stephen (49) to Illinois on Thursday, following a funeral Mass at St Mary’s Church in Cushinstown three days previously. The four family members were cremated at Mount Jerome Crematorium in Dublin following the Mass, where warm tributes were paid to all four Alexanders.
Debbie Ceglarek, the daughter and sister of the deceased, attended the funeral Mass on Saturday, along with Doug Jnr’s wife Marian, their daughters Abby (7), and six-year-old Katie and Stephen’s partner Susan Verden Schulze and their daughters Trinity and Savannah.
There was a strong presence of Bolingbrook police officers, as Stephen was a popular member of the force over 17 years.
Bolingbrook Police director Ken Teppel said: ‘Steve was an exemplary officer who took great pride in his law enforcement career and who devoted himself to protecting and serving the citizens of Bolingbrook. Steve will be missed by all those who had the pleasure of knowing him and we will forever keep the Alexander family in our thoughts and our prayers.’
Marian Alexander emigrated to Illinois in the US from County Clare 13 years ago and married Doug Jnr in 2008 and the happy couple had daughters Abby, seven, and six-yearold Katie.