CONDOLENCES TO THE GARRAHAN FAMILY

“...weep with them that weep.” (Romans 12:15)

This is a very sad and difficult day for the Garrahan family of Framingham, Massachusetts. The body of twenty-seven year old William C. Garrahan, Jr. is being laid to rest today at St. Stephen’s Cemetery, following a funeral Mass at St. Bridget’s Church.

There are three reasons why I express my condolences to the Garrahan family today:

The first reason is that my own brother, Edward Stephen Baril, was laid to rest at age twenty-seven in July of 1983. It was twenty-five years ago, but in many ways it seems like only yesterday. The Garrahan obituary states that William “died unexpectedly” as did my brother Eddie. Eddie collapsed at work on June 29, lapsed into a coma, and died a few days later. This was the only time I ever saw my very macho father cry, and he was a mess. Both of my parents were a mess. My parents each died seventeen years later, but a big part of them died during the summer of 1983. In so many ways, they never recovered from their horrible loss.

The second reason is that the late grandfather of the deceased, Attorney John P. Garrahan, Sr., was a dear friend of our little church, First Assembly of God of Framingham. Our church went through some very dark days in the mid and late 1990s. It would be far too much to write about at this time, but in those days, our church was in serious trouble with two Departments of the Town of Framingham, and we were even threatened with closure. There were several big spreads about it in the local newspapers. Two local clergy (Deacon Guy Spiri of St. Stephen’s Catholic Church, and Pastor Ben Marshall, then of New Bethel Baptist Church) told me the one man who could help our church was Attorney John Garrahan. Each of these men phoned Mr. Garrahan. On their recommendations, John Garrahan met with me and with our church leaders a number of times. He went and spoke before various Town officials on our behalf. He was ALWAYS available to me on the phone. John Garrahan donated many hours to our little church. He charged us NOTHING. Mr. John Garrahan had a very interesting demeanor. He was not a weak man. He was a very strong man and a very intelligent man, but he was always full of graciousness, kindness and CLASS. I attended John Garrahan’s funeral several years ago. As I stood there near the graveside, I felt the loss very deeply.

The third reason is that the sister of the deceased, Shannon Garrahan, graduated from Marian High School with my daughter Amy in 2003. Amy certainly thought a lot of Shannon, who was one of the nicest kids in that graduating class. My wife is the full-time Administrative Assistant at Marian High, and Mr. William C. Garrahan, Sr., father of the deceased, and son of the late Attorney John Garrahan, is on Marian’s Board. Although the Barils are not Roman Catholics, we’ve had a strong connection to Marian High for years, and are pleased, along with the Garrahans, to be part of the Marian family.

I remember that Eddie’s wake had a HUGE attendance. Countless people filed past, saying, “We don’t know what to say.” We understood. As one announcer said immediately following the collapse of one of the World Trade Center towers, “There are no words.”

Sometimes, indeed, there are no words.

I am so sorry for the Garrahan family’s loss. I pray God’s comfort and peace for them at this painful time.