MOURNERS bid an emotional farewell to little Riley Ann Moss at her funeral yesterday (Tuesday).
The six-year-old from Coa passed away peacefully in the early hours of Sunday morning. Riley was born with a congenital heart condition and spent many months in hospital receiving treatment. As doctors looked after her, it soon became apparent that she had complex medical needs, resulting in numerous surgeries and a lot of time spent in and out of hospital over the course of her short years.
Riley’s family regularly posted in a blog about her progress and revealed the heartbreaking news of her passing at the weekend. Two weeks ago, her family confirmed that her heart was continuing to deteriorate and they simply did not know how long they would have with their “precious Riley” in terms of days, weeks or months.
On Sunday, her heartbroken father Sean posted to say his “beautiful, precious Smiley Riley” had gained her angel wings early that morning.
He said: “At 1.25am heaven gained another angel, when Riley passed away peacefully. Our hearts are broken and I don’t know how we are ever going to put it all back together. But we are so, so proud of our fighting angel. As her heart grew tired she still smiled and made us laugh to the end.
“A lifetime of happy memories with family and friends, all squeezed into these few short weeks that we will cherish forever. As for all the staff of South West Acute Hospital who shared this journey, and also the staff in Clark Clinic, just thank you. We will always love you precious Riley. And we will always be a family of five.” Julie Murphy, Principal of Willowbridge School where Riley was a pupil added: “Riley was a wonderful little girl with a sparkling personality. Although she couldn’t speak, she said so much with her beautiful smile.”
Riley was laid to rest yesterday following Funeral Mass at St. Mary’s Church, Coa. She is survived by her parents Sean and Teresa (nee McGirr), sisters Caithlin and Enya, grandparents, aunts and uncles, carers, nurses and extended family circle.
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