Thousands of well-wishers witnessed an honor guard of firefighters standing to attention to salute pallbearers carrying Boston Marathon attack victim Krystle Campbell’s casket into church today.
The line outside St. Joseph Church on Monday for the 11 a.m. funeral of 29-year-old Krystle Campbell stretched down the block as 23 officers on motorbikes joined the procession.
Krystle Campbell was one of three people killed near the Boston marathon finish line on April 15. The restaurant manager had gone to watch a friend finish the race.
In addition to the mourners, union members and a local motorcycle club showed up to stop a church group from disrupting the funeral.
Teamsters Local 25 President Sean O’Brien says the union members planned to stand in front of protesters to block them from the Campbell family’s view.
The Westboro Baptist Church, whose members are known for protesting outside soldiers’ funerals with anti-gay messages, issued a statement on Saturday vowing to protest Krystle Campbell’s funeral.
Mourners made up a quarter-mile long parade to say goodbye to Krystle Campbell – who was killed as a result of the deadly Boston bombings.
Different pictures of Krystle Campbell, some of her wearing a Red Sox shirt, some of her at her high school graduation and some as a child at her communion were pleaded on a slide-show loop.
The Lumineers’ hit Ho Hey was played as mourners, family and friends walked past her open brown casket.
Firefighters honor guard salute as pallbearers carry the casket of Boston Marathon bomb victim Krystle Campbell into St Joseph’s Church for her funeral in Medford
Krystal Campbell’s heartbroken mother Patty Campbell, who memorably declared: “It doesn’t make sense” after learning of her daughter’s death, bravely attended the service today.
Speaking to and hugging as many mourners as she could meet, Patty Campbell drove away from the church in tears.
Krystle Campbell’s parents were too upset to speak at any point during the funeral, so pastor Chip Hines spoke for them during the service, saying: “Krystle was always there for people.”
Cardinal O’Malley said the final prayer, said parishoner Phyllis Patten.
The hour long funeral service ended with a choir singing a proud version of God Bless America.
Some in the crowd outside St. Joseph’s Church in Medford said they had driven as far as 100 miles to attend the funeral, where officials including Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick were in attendance.
As she waited for the funeral, Renee Arsenault, a 28-year-old hairdresser, said she had gone to middle school with Krystle Campbell.
“I am so happy this many people showed up in her honor,” Renee Arsenault said.
The hearse carrying Krystle Campbell’s red-tinted casket was escorted by about 20 police motorcycles and an honor guard of uniformed law enforcement officers stood in front of the church as pallbearers carried the casket in.
A wake for Krystle Campbell was held on Sunday at a funeral home in Medford, where the 29-year-old restaurant manager was raised and graduated from high school in 2001.
After the funeral Mass in St Joseph’s Church on Monday, Krystle Campbell was then buried in Medford’s Oak Grove Cemetery.
Krystle Campbell’s funeral was the first of the memorial events planned for the day. Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino had called for the public to observe a moment of silence at 2:50 p.m., to mark one week since the bombing. Boston University scheduled a 7 p.m. memorial service for graduate student Lu Lingzi, who also died in the blast.
The governors of nearby states including Connecticut, New Hampshire and Maine also said they would observe the moment of silence.
No public funeral has yet been scheduled for the bombing’s youngest victim, Martin Richard, or for Sean Collier, a member of the MIT police who the two suspected bombers gunned down on Thursday night.
Suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was in custody at a Boston hospital on Monday after being apprehended on Friday night. He was badly injured in a gun battle with police that led to the death of his older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26.
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Krystle Campbell has been identified as the second victim killed in the Boston Marathon terror attacks on Monday.
Krystle Campbell was a 29-year-old steakhouse manager who went to the race every year.
Doctors initially told her father, William Campbell Jr., that Krystle had survived the bombing and was undergoing surgery but had mistaken her for her friend.
William Campbell spent 12 hours believing his daughter had survived and only learned the truth after going into the post-operating room and saw his daughter’s friend instead.
“We had the doctors come out and tell us everything they did [on the survivor] – and it wasn’t our daughter,” William Campbell said.
Krystle Campbell went with her pal, Karen Rand, to cheer on Karen’s boyfriend.
They were struck by the first blast as they waited near the finish line.
Krystle Campbell has been identified as the second victim killed in the Boston Marathon terror attacks
William Campbell rushed to the hospital and felt relieved when doctors said they were operating on their daughter’s leg at Massachusetts General Hospital.
But when nurses brought them into a post-operating room around 2 a.m. he saw Karen Rand instead.
“I said, <<That’s not my daughter, that’s Karen! Where’s my daughter?>>. The doctors were as shocked as we were,” William Campbell said.
A Boston detective later showed them a photo of Krystle Campbell, who worked as a manager at Jimmy’s Steakhouse.
“I almost passed out on the floor,” William Campbell said as he was about to view his daughter’s body.
“She was the best person you’d ever meet. She helped everybody,” he said.
“I don’t care who you were, she was always there.”
Krystle Campbell was one of the three victims killed in the two blasts that came just seconds apart. The first victim identified was 8-year-old Martin Richard.
There were 176 people injured in the attack, and 17 people remain in critical condition. As many as 10 people suffered a lost limb, including two children.
“My daughter was the most lovable girl. She helped everybody, and I’m just so shocked right now. We’re just devastated,” William Campbell said.
“She was a wonderful, wonderful girl. Always willing to lend a hand.”
Krystle Campbell went to watch the Boston Marathon every year, according to Boston.com.
She attended the University of Massachusetts-Boston and was a graduate of Medford High School.
Her grandmother, Lillian Campbell of Somerville, Massachusetts, said Krystle had just moved to the town a short time ago.
Krystle Campbell was living with her grandmother to care for her during an illness for the past couple of years.
Lillian Campbell said that her granddaughter “was just beautiful”.
“She was fun, outgoing person. She was always there to help somebody. All her friends loved her.
“The family is besides themselves now because something happened to her,” the grandmother said.
Before working at the steakhouse, Krystle Campbell was a manager at the Summer Shack.
“The Summer Shack family is devastated by the loss of our beloved Krystle Campbell. Please keep her & her family in your thoughts & prayers,” the popular restaurant tweeted this afternoon.
William Campbell had harsh words for whoever carried out the attack.
“I’m very angry. I hope they catch the bastard and fry him,” he said of whoever perpetrated the worst terror attack on U.S. soil since 9/11.
“I can’t understand it – someone doing that. People are out there enjoying a beautiful day and then to have this happen.
“And then the little boy that passed,” he told The New York Daily News, referring to 8-year-old Martin Richard.
“It’s totally tragic.”
The mayor of Medford, Massachusetts., Krystle Campbell’s hometown, said he had attempted to console William Campbell.
“Mr. Campbell said that she certainly was a dream daughter, the daughter that every father dreams to have and friends of hers said that she was eager about life,” Mayor Michael McGlynn said, according to Reuters.
“She had a great sense of humor and freckles and red hair that brought her right to her Irish roots. She was someone who worked hard at everything she did,” Michael McGlynn said.
“Another friend said she may have been a little loud at times but it was a loudness you loved.”
A former colleague of Krystle Campbell’s, Steve Sullivan of Pembroke, MA, told BuzzFeed that Krystle was “a beautiful person” and “an angel”.
“Whenever I saw her she always had a smile on her face.”
