THE family of the Irish victim who died aboard Flight MH17 in the Ukraine paid an emotional tribute to her over the weekend saying that she would not want anyone "wasting their time" hating those who had carried out the mass murder.
Mother-of-two, Edel Mahady, had been on a two-week visit to her home city of Dublin to spend time with her elderly mother.
The school registrar and fitness instructor was on her way home to her adopted home of Perth, Australia, when the Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 was shot down over the Ukraine killing all 298 crew and passengers.
Edel, who was in her 50s, was from Palmerstown and visited home frequently. She is survived by her husband Dereck, a senior administrator working in the area of disabled sports, and two children, Conor and Ciara.
In a statement issued yesterday, her family described her as a person "who took care of people. She was devoted to, and immeasurably proud of, her husband Dereck, son Conor and daughter Ciara. If there was an Irish version of a 'tiger mother' Edel was it. Edel's fierce love of her family was evident in her support of her siblings through constant communication and regular visits to care for her elderly mother. After emigrating to Australia as a newlywed, Edel gathered a group of friends and came to regard them as her Australian family," they said.
The statement added: "Edel didn't merely 'do' her work Her humour, strength, wisdom, joy and determination drove people to achieve their best. No-one wanted to let Edel down, she saw the best in people, put up with no nonsense and spoke with honesty and conviction.
"Edel dealt with prince or pauper the same. She respected hard work, integrity and regarded failure as an opportunity to do better next time. She was innovative, persistent and a champion of those who were struggling," the family said.
They added that Edel would not want anyone to waste time on hating those who carried out the attack.
"Rather she would be expecting us to 'suck it up' and make sure we looked after those who need it and to live fully," they added.
"Her family have shared her with many people throughout her work life but ask that their privacy is respected as they grieve for their beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend."
The full statement reads:
"Edel Mahady took care of people. She was devoted to and immeasurably proud of her husband Dereck, son Conor and daughter Ciara. If there was an Irish version of a ‘tiger mother’ Edel was it. Edel’s fierce love of her family was evident in her support of her siblings through constant communication and regular visits to care for her elderly mother. After immigrating to Australia as a newlywed, Edel gathered a group of friends and came to regard them as her Australian family.
"Edel’s enthusiasm for living life was evident in the fact she held two jobs that had a great impact on two communities. For 14 years she was the Bursar/Office Manager at Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School whilst working as a fitness instructor at Fitness First in Cannington and Myaree. Edel’s personality and quality of her work positively affected generations of teachers and children in the Kelmscott area.
"Her dedication to the health and wellbeing of those she trained was unfailing. She loved nothing more than to champion and mentor someone struggling to lose weight, eat healthier or increase their fitness.
"Edel didn’t merely ‘do’ her work, her humour, strength, wisdom, joy and determination drove people to achieve their best. No one wanted to let Edel down, she saw the best in people, put up with no nonsense and spoke with honesty and conviction. Edel dealt with prince or pauper the same. She respected hard work, integrity and regarded failure as an opportunity to do better next time. She was innovative, persistent and a champion of those who were struggling. She would be heartbroken to know how saddened we are by her death, she would not want anyone to waste time on hating those who did this rather she would be expecting us to ‘suck it up’ and make sure we looked after those who need it and to live fully.
"Her family have shared her with many people throughout her work life but ask that at this time their privacy is respected as they grieve for their beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend."
