More than four months after perishing in the MH17 disaster in Ukraine, Albion Park couple Michael and Carol Clancy have finally been laid to rest.
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Their funeral at Kembla Grange on Monday was full to the brim with family, friends, teaching colleagues and former students packing into the chapel to say a final farewell to the much-loved pair.
The Mercury attended after an invitation from the family.
Moving eulogies by Michael’s sister, Ruth, and Carol’s brother-in-law, Bob, brought many tears and a few laughs.
Purple flowers adorned the top of Michael’s casket – an inside family joke, recalling the day Michael mistakenly bought a purple suit for a job interview.
Yellow flowers topped Carol’s casket, lying next to her husband’s.
The Clancys were on board Malaysia Airlines flight 17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, returning to Australia after a long-awaited European holiday.
All 298 on board died after the plane crashed.
Those in the packed hall remembered Michael and Carol as father and mother, uncle and aunt, teachers, travellers and friends.
They remembered Michael as a schoolyard handball champion during his days at Albion Park Public School and Carol’s valued contributions in helping newly arrived refugees adjust to Australia through Smith Family programs and the Nan Tien Temple.
The Australian Defence Force, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Dutch government were thanked for their help in bringing the pair home.
Family left flowers on top of the caskets as the coffins were wheeled out. Bagpipes played and rain began to fall as Michael and Carol, together to the last, were placed in waiting hearses.