Statement from the family of Cora O’Grady
The following is a statement from the family of Mitchelstown native Cora O’Grady, who tragically passed away recently while undertaking the Climb With Charlie fundraiser on Galtymore:
‘Luke and Lilly’s family would like to thank from the bottom of their hearts every single person who has been there for them since the day of the tragedy, and also those who donated to the Gofundme set up by Cora’s friends. From the €5 to €1,500, all was equally appreciated by us, and the generosity and kindness shown by each donation and every heartfelt message left on the page and on RIP.ie was read and re-read and will forever mean the world to us.
The support of our friends and neighbours, of Luke and Lilly’s friends and their parents, of their schools and clubs and organisations they were involved with, will never be forgotten. We will forever appreciate O’Brien’s Undertakers for how they organised everything and helped Cora’s family last week; they went over and beyond in such difficult circumstances, and the way they dealt with Cora’s children in this time of crisis had to be seen to be believed. We will forever be grateful for their kindness and professionalism. We know that if Luke and Lilly’s grandmother Chris was alive she would insist on thanking every person individually.
Walking up the main street of Mitchelstown following Cora’s coffin on Friday and seeing all the locals and business people lining the street was so wonderful and made us so proud to belong to a community that showed so much compassion, respect and support to us as a family, but especially to Luke and Lilly.
The Gofundme has echoed this community spirit on a national level. The kindness of ordinary people taking care of each other at a time when there is so much doom and hopelessness in the world, just filled our hearts.
We would also like to thank all media both radio and print publications who promoted this fund in aid of Luke & Lilly.
Going forward, Luke and Lilly will be supported by their family. The money donated will be placed in a fund overseen by the organisers, Caroline and Ailish, and Luke and Lilly’s aunts. This will be used for their education and any other unforeseen but necessary expenses that will be incurred in the future. Because of the generosity of family, friends and strangers, Luke and Lilly will not be denied the opportunities that Cora would have wanted for them. This was very important to Cora, and she encouraged her children to get involved in all activities.
Cora herself had only recently completed an SNA course where she obtained distinction in all exams and she was really looking forward to restarting her career in education, working alongside children like Luke and Lilly.
We will be forever proud of Cora and her achievements, especially Luke and Lilly.’