Manuela’s hometown gathers to say final farewell
These were the words of Arlette Riedo as she wiped away her tears, smiled and waved up to the bright blue sky dotted with hundreds of colourful balloons that were released by those who loved and remembered her 17-year-old daughter, Manuela.
Outside the small white church on the side of a green hill and overlooking the glistening lake, the tiny Swiss town of Wohlen united to say goodbye to the girl who had grown up there, made many friends, met her childhood sweetheart and, as her mother said, “truly lived” her short years.
Following her funeral ceremony, less than half an hour from Manuela’s home, her parents Hans and Arlette each held an orange and green balloon and released them, along with hundreds more, to the sound of a drum played by Manuela’s friend.
The brief smile that the moment had put on their faces soon gave way to uncontrollable tears as the couple wrapped themselves in each other’s arms, perhaps realising that nothing will ever “continue the way it was” following the killing of their only daughter in Galway.
It was just two weeks to the day since they waved goodbye to their “girl with the little laugh”, not knowing that she would never return home.
“We know that all of you here are behind us,” her father said to the people of the town who had gathered.
“We will not forget Ireland. We hope to go there, someday when we are ready, and see the place where our daughter spent her last days, and maybe we will place a rose on the place where she died,” said Arlette.
In a tribute to Manuela during the ceremony, her best friends said she left them “much too early”.
They said: “Nothing in life will be as it was before. Flowers have lost their scent, the sun has lost its warmth. Everything is still. You were the person to cheer us up. You were the person to make us laugh, and filled our classroom with love and warmth.”
Barbara Kuckelmann, the local Catholic parish leader, who conducted yesterday’s funeral ceremony started the service with the words: “We protest against the death of Manuela in the name of God. You think those catastrophies happen only to other people.”
She said the people had gathered “to look at the life of Manuela, so we will be able to let it go”.
She talked about the girl who had a great future, who everybody loved. “All her plans and possibilities are gone,” she said.
“The past few days I have experienced sentiments that have moved me beyond belief. In the many conversations I’ve had with family and friends, they told stories of a wonderful, unique woman. We want to share those memories so no one can take them away,” she said.
Boys and girls Manuela’s age were among the 500 mourners at the church, arms around each other, wiping away each other’s tears.
Manuela’s boyfriend, Nithan Mahrer, 17, who she knew since she was seven and started going out with almost a year ago, held his head in his hands as her favourite song, 1973 by James Blunt, was played: “I would call you up every Saturday night, And we’d both stay out ’til the morning light, and though time goes by, I will always be in a club with you”, the lyrics went.
A group of 14 girls from the same dance school as Manuela did a dance to the words of Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. The girls were at the church earlier that morning to practice, but during their performance they could not help being put off their moves to wipe away the tears.
Another group of friends had put a book together with favourite memories and photos of Manuela, which they presented to her parents.
The final song was chosen by Manuela’s parents. “If there were angels on earth, you would be there for sure,” the song went — a reference to Manuela’s love for angels.
Ms Kuckelmann said: “Her parents brought me to her room and she had a big collection of angels.
She loved angels.”
When she is laid to rest at an undisclosed time over the next two days, Manuela will be among the angels she so dearly loved.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
