The widow of helicopter crash victim Niall Crosby has said he always had the courage to strive and that becoming a helicopter pilot was his “lifelong dream”.
Jillian Crosby arrived at Mr Crosby’s funeral carrying one of their sons on her hip, while their older, primary-school aged boy walked by her side.
Mr Crosby’s wicker coffin was carried into the National Maritime Museum of Ireland in Dún Laoghaire on Tuesday morning a week after he was killed in a helicopter crash in Co Westmeath. An investigation is under way into the incident, which also claimed the life of Mr Crosby’s Czech co-pilot.
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The 46-year-old was from Straffan, Co Kildare, but had been living in Glenageary, Co Dublin, after spending many years in London with his wife.
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During his funeral service, Mrs Crosby told a packed congregation that Niall’s motto was “family comes first”.
“He was my best friend, my love and the best father to Thomas and Robin,” she said.
An entrepreneur who founded and led a London-based technology company, Mr Crosby worked hard and was proud but humble about his business, she said.
Mr Crosby’s sons, nieces and nephews brought a model Aston Martin, a globe, a top hat and wand to the altar, among other gifts. The items illustrated his love of cars, travel and magic. The young relatives themselves represented love and family, which were “without doubt the most important thing of all” to him, said celebrant Scott Golden.
Mr Crosby’s brother Brian said his sibling had a “generosity of spirit” and “enormous curiosity”. Niall did not take himself too seriously and was well known for his “odd” party tricks. His friends remember him as being “incredibly loyal and kind”, while family “always came first”, Brian said.
Niall began his professional life as a freelance software designer and later spotted a market gap in the area of datasets, said Brian. His company, AG Grid, quickly became market-leading, as he set “high standards” and was not afraid of taking risks, the service heard.
Another of Mr Crosby’s brothers, Eamon, performed a pitch-perfect rendition of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. Between verses he said: “My dear brother Niall. May you rest in peace… I will always love you”.
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Dr Golden said the lives of Mr Crosby’s loved ones were changed “irrevocably” last week. “Niall may not be able to walk beside us anymore, but his promises and dreams live on through Jillian, Thomas and Robin,” he said.
On behalf of Mr Crosby’s family, Dr Golden said the kindness of so many following the incident has made “such a difference– more than words can express”. Closing the service, he said a reflection of Mr Crosby’s spirit will be found in “every rustling leaf, every beam of sunlight and every ripple of the water’s surface”.
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