Pauline Riley Memorial - Eulogy presented by Meri

TO PAULINE

It was long ago, we were little fifth grade kids, Yet we all remember you so clearly; You were cute and smart, always smiling and fun to be with, We are still sorrowful and miss you dearly.

That a good friend, a dear classmate, a neighborhood chum could somehow lose her life so tragically still fills us with horror and brings us to tears, And we wish we could dispel such memories, somehow. . . magically. . .

But we can’t. That tragic day is still etched in our minds and is remembered in detail with utter disbelief.  That a horrible “accident” took you from us, (a murder in our little city!) Still causes great anguish and heartfelt grief.

Your family was destroyed, our whole community was in shock.  And we, your friends, are still reeling from the event, That such a thing could happen to someone we knew so well, Is incredible. A brother could just “snap” and become so violent?

That he could go so crazy as to do what he did (I can’t even say the words) To end his only sister’s beautiful, brief life, is just too horrible to express. Who can explain such things, or ever understand what happened? It leaves us bewildered, with heartache, and in complete distress.

Today we wish to remember you, the lovely child you were, and to memorialize your life, however brief. And we all want to say:

Dear Pauline, we love you and will never forget you.  We hope that you Rest In Peace for all eternity, for this we pray.

 Pauline is in the bottom row, right to left, third one in.