Mourners at the funeral of Gina Murray, whose daughter Leanne was killed in the Shankill Bomb, have heard her described as a “strong soul with a beautiful spirit” who led an “incredible life”.
Mrs Murray, who was in her seventies died on Thursday, October 3, having lived with cancer.
The last time Mrs Murray saw Leanne was before she went to Frizzell’s fish shop on the Shankill Road seconds before the 1993 explosion.
Her funeral service was led by Pastor Mark Gordon at Melville Morgan Funeral Home in Bangor on Thursday, before committal at Roselawn Crematorium.
Mr Gordon said many people would have recognised Mrs Murray as the “poor wee woman who lost her daughter in the Shankill Bomb”.
He added: “But, the emphasis today was on the words of Lebanese-American writer and poet Kahlil Gibran, who said ‘Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars’.
“This wasn’t an act of terror that defined Gina Murray, it was her strong soul, her beautiful spirit and her most massive character seared with scars.
“Everyone was shocked of course to discover that Leanne wasn’t the first child she had lost, she had two sons who had died years before.
“She had a lot of loss and grief in her life but instead of becoming embittered or resentful or have this negative outlook on life, she used her grief to energise herself and to fight for truth and justice and speak out for victims of the Troubles,” said Mr Gordon.
He told the congregation that Mrs Murray used her role within Kilcooley Women’s Centre to “utilise” her suffering and do “positive things for others”.
“She travelled all over Europe with different projects to do with the women’s centre and has received condolences from people all over Europe she met,” he added.
“It was incredible to hear what she achieved in her life. She didn’t allow the tragedies she experienced in her life to keep her down or feel like there was no purpose or meaning in life, she used them as drivers to make a difference.
“Gina had a wonderful spirit who had made her own peace with everything and always worked to put a smile on the faces of people who maybe felt they had nothing to smile about.”
In her funeral notice, Gina was described as a “dearly loved partner of Paul and loving mother of Gary and the late Paul, George and Leanne, much loved and loving grandmother of Ashley, Toni, Brandon and Courtney, devoted great grandmother to her seven great grandchildren.”
Speaking on behalf of the family previously, Mrs Murray’s son Gary described his mother as the “strongest, most forgiving person I’ve ever known”.
“She tried to look at life positively, no matter how much pain she was feeling.
“Her priority in life was to support her family, all generations. She spent time with them and was able to relate to all of us.
“Despite the grief she carried through Leanne’s murder, she still tried to get on top of life. She was the most powerful woman I have known. She had her demons, but she battled back from them, through her own steely determination,” he said.
Alan McBride, co-ordinator of the Wave Trauma Centre, who lost his wife and father-in-law in the Shankill Bomb also spoke at the funeral, along with Mrs Murray’s three granddaughters.
