FRIENDS AND co-workers of Celia Ferrer de Jesus, who died in her home in Dublin during flooding last week, described the Filipina nurse as an outstanding public servant and loving mother during an emotional service yesterday.
About 200 people attended the removal service in the chapel of Our Lady’s Hospice in Harold’s Cross, where Ms Ferrer worked. They formed a guard of honour as her body was taken to Dublin airport, from where it was flown home to the Philippines.
Awaiting the body there were Ms Ferrer’s husband, Angelito, and her 19-year-old son, Michael Kevin.
Chief executive of the hospice Mo Flynn extended her sympathies to the family, saying Irish people were well aware of the “emotional challenges” facing those affected by emigration, particularly in extreme circumstances such as in this case. “That huge gulf in terms of distance and isolation from loved ones makes coping with the awful tragedy all the more difficult,” she said.
Acknowledging the presence of several gardaí at the service, Ms Flynn said that the deaths of Ms Ferrer and off-duty garda Ciarán Jones as a result of last week’s floods “put the damage of so many properties in perspective . . . They were both outstanding public servants . . . each in their own way contributing to the wellbeing of their community, one at the beginning of his career and one reaching near the end of hers.”
Ms Flynn thanked all those who had sent cards. She read out a letter of condolence from President Mary McAleese which encouraged the staff to help each other through these “very sad times”.
Fr Brendan McKeever, who led the service, described Ms Ferrer as a woman who loved to travel, and lamented the manner in which she died. Ms Ferrer was found in the basement of her house after it was flooded.
“Each of us in our own way have tried to visualise that and it kind of captures you somewhere in your heart,” he said.
At several times during the service, participants were overcome by grief, most pointedly as one friend of Ms Ferrer had to apologise for ending his song mid-way, unable to continue.
“I don’t think everyone has gotten over the shock of her death yet and I think once we say goodbye to her today, that is when it will hit people,” said Avril Tupas, who arrived in the hospice from the Philippines in 2001, the same year as Ms Ferrer.
“We were the first Filipino staff here in the hospice and because everyone here had left families behind on the Philippines, we all gathered every birthday, every Christmas, any other parties, all of us together. Her main priority in life would have been her family, especially her son – she was very family-orientated and she would do everything for them.”
Despite being away from them, Ms Ferrer was very happy in Ireland, she said, particularly after she attained Irish citizenship as she believed this would allow her family to be reunited in Ireland.