The sister of Vanessa Whyte, who was killed alongside her two children in a suspected murder-suicide last week, has said they were taken from the world in the “most vicious and cruel manner”.
Ms Whyte’s sister Regina said the family has been robbed of a relationship with her and of seeing her 14-year-old son James and 13-year-old daughter Sara grow up. The three have been “robbed of the rest of their lives”, she said.
Ms Whyte (45) and James and Sara Rutledge were shot during an incident at their home in Maguiresbridge, Co Fermanagh, on the morning of Wednesday, July 23rd.
The sole suspect, Ian Rutledge (43), died in hospital several days after the shooting. Mr Rutledge was married to Ms Whyte and was the father of the two children.
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Crowds flooded into the Co Clare village of Barefield, where Ms Whyte was from, for the funeral. Many of the mourners wore GAA jerseys and bright colours as requested by the family as they lined the main street to watch the three hearses pass by.
Those in attendance at the funeral at the Church of the Immaculate Conception on Saturday included a representative for the Taoiseach Micheál Martin and GAA president Jarlath Burns.
Delivering the eulogy, Ms Whyte’s sister Regina said there are “no words available to express how this has impacted our family and their friends”.
“It has taken us 11 days to be in a position to have Vanessa, James and Sara back to Clare.
“This was supposed to be a joyous occasion where Vanessa would see her new nephew, and Sara and James would meet their baby cousin for the first time. Instead we are in the position of choosing coffins, final burial places and funeral hymns.
“For us as a family, the only comfort we have is that Vanessa, James and Sara are together and finally safe.
“Vanessa will have her children at either side of her forever, as they were when they were alive.”
She described her sister as “witty, bright, kind and determined”, and said James and Sara were the “focus of her world”.
She recalled James’s love of the GAA, playing both hurling and football, and also cricket, adding he has been acknowledged as the “kind, bright, determined teenager we as a family know so well”.
“James’s smile was infectious, and his loyalty was strong,” she said.
Sara was remembered as having a deep love for animals, and aspiring to follow in her mother’s footsteps to become a vet, as well as loving sport.
“She was an excellent hurler, a footballer and skilled at netball. She was a team player, a quiet leader, and like every sister, never let James away with anything,” she said.
Amazing Grace and Somewhere Over The Rainbow were among the music played during the service.
Bishop of Ferns Ger Nash told those gathered in the church, outside and viewing online that many are “heartbroken at the tragic and unspeakable loss of three lives with so much to give to the world”.
“Every story and shared memory since their deaths reminds us of the irreplaceable part they played in the lives of their families, their community, their schools, workplaces, teams and clubs,” he said.
He said there is no easy answer for why tragic events such as this occur.
“Here in Barefield church today with Vanessa, James, and Sara, we are in the land of ‘I don’t know’,” he said.
“The tragic events of last week, and the ripping away of three people from their family and friends leave us searching for answers and coming back again and again to the only answer that is completely true: ‘We don’t know.’”
He said Ms Whyte brought immense gifts to her adopted county Fermanagh and the Maguiresbridge community.
Bishop Nash said tributes paid to Ms Whyte and her children on Rip.ie came from people who knew them well but also from strangers who signed their messages: “A Waterford mammy”, “A Cork granny”, “A Wicklow mother” and “A Dublin family”.
“There were some with both dads and mams mentioned, but there were many where a woman spoke from her own heart. They don’t know you, nor you them. But they know your story, and if they hug their teenagers more tightly and call a ceasefire in the perpetual war about tidy rooms, then they have learned that life is precious, and we must be grateful for every day given to us and to those we love,” he said.
“Over and over, I could see that women and mothers, as individuals, reached out in their shock and sadness at the loss of a mother and children ... The messages highlighted the vulnerability of women to pain inflicted by others and [there were] were signs of solidarity in the face of that pain.”
Addressing Sara and James’s friends, he encouraged the young people to “talk often about our absent friends and to seek help and support when the sorrow becomes too heavy”.
Police Service of Northern Ireland detectives are continuing their murder investigation.
