Family and friends attend funeral of young doctor killed in Air France disaster

JANE DEASY was a generous and devoted sister, a loving daughter, a dear friend and a great surgeon in the making, mourners at her funeral in Dublin heard yesterday.

Before a congregation so large it spilled out through the doors of the Church of the Holy Name in Ranelagh, chief celebrant Fr Bernard Kennedy said the 27-year-old, gifted to her family “like an angel’s presence”, had inexplicably been taken from them in the full radiance of life.

Dr Deasy was one of three Irish women killed when their Air France flight crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on May 31st. She was returning from a holiday in Brazil with two friends – fellow doctors Eithne Walls (28) from Ballygowan, Co Down, and Aisling Butler (26) of Roscrea, Co Tipperary – when the aircraft went missing.

That radiance was allowed to shine through a Mass interspersed with vignettes from her short life – what family friend Declan Magee called those “glimpses of what lay beneath”. There was her academic success, her good humour, her beauty and her devotion to family and friends, but there were also her beloved red patent shoes, her passion for conversation, her single penalty point and her small Toyota Yaris, which she wanted to upgrade “because she said it didn’t fully express her personality”. What she needed was a Mercedes, she joked.

Friends and family recalled her warm smile, and her generosity and talent as a doctor. With her career barely under way, Mr Magee said, she was “trusted, valued and loved by her patients” and admired, respected and loved by her colleagues “for her ability, her modesty, her comradeship and selflessness”. Dr Deasy is survived by her mother Barbara; father Joe, a consultant at Beaumont Hospital; and sisters Caragh and Alison; and a wide circle of relatives and friends, including grandmother Rita and long-time boyfriend Alex Creavin.

Speaking of her older sister, Caragh recalled the quiet intimacies of a close family life – preparations for Christmas, walks with the dog and endless night-time chat among the three girls. “Jane was an exceptionally special, loving and unique person to all of us,” Caragh said. “Her qualities were evident, but the ones that stick out in my mind are beautiful, caring, kind, hard-working and generous.”

Jane idolised her father and was inspired by him to become a doctor, Caragh said, while Jane herself was the inspiration for her sister Alison when she opted to do the same. Her mother had a huge influence on her, too – a favourite phrase was “my mum says” and friends would sometimes call her “mini-Barbara” when she was doling out advice.

Jane and her boyfriend Alex had met while studying for their Leaving Cert. “He, like us, will miss Jane enormously, but he will always be part of our family,” Caragh said. Among the mourners at yesterday’s funeral were the families of Eithne Walls and Aisling Butler, whose remains have not yet been found. Jane was due to join Eithne at the Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin on July 1st. Eithne was a happy, talented person with a beautiful smile, Caragh said, while Aisling – a regular visitor to the house – brought with her “a great sense of humour, a cheerful manner, a love for life, and of course her infectious laugh that we will never forget”.

Surgeon’s scrubs and a stethoscope were brought to the altar, as well as those red shoes and a framed photograph of the three friends who died together. There was also a Tricolour, symbolising her love of her country, and an American flag, a reminder of her birth in Boston 27 years ago.

Alex presented a watch and necklace he had given Jane, and which she was wearing when her body was recovered.

Caragh’s closing words were to her late sister: “Jane, I am so proud to be your sister and, even though your life was cut so tragically short, I would not swap a day with you for anything. Words cannot describe how much we will miss you, but we hope you give us your strength and serenity to cope with your loss. We will never, ever forget you, and we love you so, so much.”