CPL. Ciara M. Durkin - Friend's Stories Pg 1

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From: Dawn H.

Ciara was my best friend. I have so many memories of her. I really don’t know where to begin.

One of my favorites, or should I say two, are of last year when she brought me to two Red Sox games. I hadn’t been to Fenway Park since I was in the 6th grade. We met on the D-line trolley after we both got out of work, so now every time I go to get on my train to go home, I expect to see her smiling face waiting for me at the door.

I got to see Ortiz hit a homerun, and spilled beer on some lady who didn’t drink. But the best part was just being there with Ciara. She had a way of just making everyone around her absorb her tremendous energy and be as happy and excited as she was. She bought me a my first Red Sox sweatshirt that night, and I will always wear it proudly – even when the Sox are down, because that’s what she would have done. I really miss her.

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From: Ellen F. R.

I’d like to share a specific memory of Ciara. I very much enjoyed having her in my senior homeroom. She was always so bouncy and full of good cheer. When her elderly French teacher had heart surgery that same year, I became Ciara’s French teacher for the last month of school. As a Spanish teacher who had not taught a class of French for 2 decades, I was way out of my comfort zone. It was then that I really came to appreciate your daughter even more. She went out of her way to be helpful in numerous ways. In almost a reversal of roles, she encouraged me daily throughout every class. Since she had a stronger French background than the other first-year students, she was better able to communicate to me what the class had and hadn’t learned in previous months. I could always turn to Ciara with a question or a request, knowing that she would do her utmost. It was thus I discovered her heart of gold. Even after she left school that year, when she came in the next to do some additional coursework, she would often stop by to chat or just say “hi.” She was a very special youngster whom I shall always remember. Please accept my heart-felt sympathy for your loss.

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From: Shauna M.

I will never forget the day I meet Ciara. It was a spring day in Dorchester and a mutual friend had introduced us to each other. She, of course, met me with her beautiful smile and her stunning blue eyes.

Little did I know how this amazing girl would change my life forever. Ciara and I quickly became close and a friendship was formed. We began spending more and more time together and something else had begun; a relationship that would span years.

There were some personal issues going on in my life than left me with a need for a place to go. Ciara and her wonderful family not only opened their home to me, but they became my family when I needed one the most.

They were more than I could have ever asked for. Truly they were my saviors. As time went on, I became closer and more comfortable with her family. We would drive out to Hough’s Neck and watch Deirdre’s children while her and her late husband could get a night out. It was always such a pleasure and I loved being a part of it all. They all really made me feel part of the gang. I never had a large family and being with Ciara they became such a part of my life.

A few years into our relationship Fiona gave birth to a little girl whom she named Shauna, and who would become Ciara’s Goddaughter. I will never forget a trip to pick out her first gift from us. We scoured the malls in search of something special enough for such an important little girl. Finally we decided on a Precious Moments train, something she could build with her together for years to come.

Along with all the wonderful moments Ciara and I shared, we also endured a lot of heartache together. There was the loss of her beloved brother-in-law Barry. What a terrible loss for her and her family. But she stayed so strong for Deirdre and the kids, because that is what she did and fundamentally who she was. Always the rock. There was the loss of a friend tragically in a car accident. But we leaned on each other and got through it. She could do anything.

Ciara had to be the strongest person I knew. She could handle anything life threw at her, and still manage to live her life to the fullest. Without hesitation, and always with confidence. She was my inspiration, she was my rock. She gave me back a life I thought was gone forever. She gave me happiness and security when I had none. But most of all she gave me love.

I will never forget her or her family. I have since moved far away from the life Ciara and I once lived, as people often do as they grow older. Ciara found her happiness in other things. I was so happy for her when she told me she was joining the military, it was always something she talked about doing. I try and find some solace knowing that she died doing something she loved and believed in. But in my heart nothing will lessen the pain, or fill the void that is there.

Ciara gave me life, love, and support unlike any other person I have ever known. That is why I love her.

Always with Love
Shauna M.