A SHINING LIGHT; DARREN SUTHERLAND 1982-2009.Byline: MICHELLE MICHELLE Mid-Infrared Echelle Spectrograph O'KEEFFE OLYMPIC hero Darren Sutherland's devastated dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. father remembered his "shining light" yesterday as hundreds paid tribute to the tragic boxer. Fans, friends and neighbours joined Darren's family as his body was removed to St Mary's Church in Navan, Co Meath. Heartbroken dad Tony, 57, said: "Darren was an amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. son, brother and friend to so many people. "He was a really loveable guy who had a smile and a kind word for everyone he met. We miss him terribly and life will never be the same again without him. "We were so proud of him and his achievement. He was a shining light that will never go out. "Our family have been deeply touched by the outpouring of emotions from people since Darren has died. "The amount of people to come to our home and to the funeral home to offer their sympathies and condolences has been over-whelming. He'll always be with us in spirit." A stream of people poured into Fitzsimons' funeral home to pay respects Darren - who was laid out in his Irish Olympic tracksuit track·suit n. A loose-fitting jacket and pants worn by athletes and exercisers usually before and after workouts. tracksuit Noun a warm loose-fitting suit worn by athletes etc., esp. . The 27-year-old, who won bronze in Beijing last year, was found in his London flat last Monday after taking his own life. Floral tributes were left by his coffin yesterday with emotional messages. One arrangement with a pair of boxing gloves boxing gloves npl → guantes mpl de boxeo boxing gloves box npl → gants mpl de boxe boxing gloves npl was left by parents Tony and Linda and his sisters Nicole and Shaneika with a note that simply read: "Darren, you will always be in our thoughts and prayers." Another floral tribute spelling out the word 'Son' had the tribute: "Our love always, mum and dad." A neighbour left roses for Darren - known as Dazzler because of his smile and lightning technique - with the message: "You were too nice for this world." The mourners left the funeral home for Darren's removal at 6.30pm yesterday. His heartbroken family were comforted as they followed the coffin to St Mary's Church where thousands are expected today for the funeral mass at 11am. CAPTION(S): PAINFUL JOURNEY Darren's remains carried to church GRIEF-STRICKEN Father Tony at removal yesterday OUR HERO Family and friends at the removal mass hold tribute painting of 'the Dazzler' Darren |
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