Sad farewell to Navan mum as search ends in tragedy
by Noelle Finegan Updated: Wednesday, 27th January, 2010 4:54pm
Civil Defence personnel search the Boyne for Jackie Martin after she was reported missing.
There were emotional scenes in St Mary's Church, Navan, on Monday morning as hundreds of mourners gathered to say their final farewells to Mrs Jackie Martin, 13 days after she went missing from her home.
Sadly, the intensive nine-day search for Mrs Martin (42), who went missing on 12th January, ended in tragedy when her body was found at Kilcarn last Thursday afternoon.
Mourners filled St Mary's Church on Monday morning to pay their final respects to Mrs Martin, and the town came to a standstill as the funeral cortege passed through on its way to her final resting place at St Mary's Cemetery. The mourners were led by Mrs Martin's heartbroken husband, Aubrey; daughter Kerrie, sons Alan and Gary, mother Kaye, and her brothers and sisters.
In his homily, Fr William Coleman described Mrs Martin as a "kind and loving woman" who was devoted to her family and her home.
He said she was a very popular, very friendly and fun-loving woman who "had a great natural ability to relate to all ages" and had touched the lives of all who knew her in ways only they could know.
Fr Coleman told the congregration that the experience of death was always very disturbing and difficult, but when it is the death of a young woman in the prime of her life, it is "almost overwhelming" and he said that Mrs Martin's death had "stunned" the community.
A member of the O'Reilly family from St Mary's Park, Mrs Martin was well-known in the town through her role as a sales assistant in Nolan's Pharmacy, which closed its stores on Monday as a mark of respect.
The Martin family lived at Troytown Heights for several years before moving to Glenveigh Drive on the Boyne Road in recent years.
Mrs Martin was last seen parking her car at Johnstown Shopping Centre at 9.05am on Tuesday 12th January and her disappearance prompted a massive search operation involving hundreds of volunteers and a widespread publicity campaign.
The searches were concentrated along the River Boyne and there was a huge response from the local community with volunteers scouring the riverbanks each day.
Mrs Martin's body was found last Thursday afternoon approximately 30 yards from the river bank at Kilcarn by workmen from the nearby M3 roadworks.
Mrs Martin's husband and her family said they wanted to thank every person that was involved in any way in the search, especially Pat Carolan and the Meath River Rescue Team, the Boyne Fishermen's Rescue and Recovery Service, local Gardai, the Garda sub-Aqua Unit, Meath Civil Defence and the "many individuals that just joined to help because they wanted to".
They also thanked everyone who attended the church and the cemetery, in a message posted on the website www.jackiemartinoreilly.info
A spokesperson for the Boyne Fishermen's Rescue and Recovery Service, which was involved in the searches, extended their sympathy to the family and friends of Mrs Martin at this sad time.
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