The family of Olive Hawkes, a victim of the Omagh bombing, shared a statement emphasizing her loving nature and the lasting trauma of her death in 1998.
Beth McMullan read a statement from Olive’s kids, Mark and Mandy, who remembered their mom. She always cared deeply for her family, and their childhood held great memories because of her. Their mom was the household boss, and their dad was happy with that role.
They worked well together as a couple. The kids never lacked anything, and their parents were loving and attentive. Their home was always filled with laughter.
She did her husband’s farm books and helped on the farm a lot. She loved the animals and the land. Olive liked to shop in Omagh and loved baking and gardening too. She held their close family together, and they felt lucky to have her.
Mark recalled his mom leaving for Omagh to shop the day of the bombing. He’d just come back from the Czech Republic. He saw her leave as he washed his truck. His dad was at the market that day, when he heard about the bomb blast. He felt that his wife was in town.
They will always remember him searching for her. Mandy went to identify her mom’s body at a makeshift morgue. They did not see their mom directly; they saw her gold shoes instead. Mark knew she wore them that day.
Her fingerprints confirmed her identity. This reality made their pain worse. Their mother’s death deeply affected them, and this impact was long lasting for the family. Their family fell apart that day in 1998, and the trauma still affects their lives now. It also impacts who they have become.
It took a long time to recall happy memories, as they had replaced them with trauma. Now, they cherish their parents’ loving home, because they gave them a wonderful childhood. They are grateful for their parents’ influence and avoid anger and bitterness now. They try to live as their parents hoped.
Olive overcame many hardships earlier in life, and found great happiness later as an adult. She and her husband were good people who didn’t deserve such cruelty.
