Mother Remembers 'Beautiful' Paige
20 April 2016, 16:25
The mother of teenager Paige Doherty has told mourners to turn their anger at her death in to cherishing the memory of her "beautiful smiling girl''.
Pamela Munro told about 600 brightly-clad friends and relatives packed into St Margaret's Church in Clydebank for Paige's funeral that her daughter's "infectious personality'' would always be with them.
The 15-year-old went missing from the West Dunbartonshire town last month and a man has been charged with her murder.
In a moving eulogy, her mother told the congregation: "You see our daughter had a smile across her face every day and that's exactly how she should be remembered. There is no room for evil any more.''
She urged the community not to let their feelings take over, to learn to "accept this tragedy'' and "put that anger into remembering our beautiful smiling girl''.
She added: "Paige, you are now the brightest star in the sky. I can say I loved you with all my heart as did the man who raised you.
"He is a broken man now you are no longer here and I know you will be watching over him giving him all your strength to go on.
"He will never get to walk you down the aisle to marry the man you love but he has walked you to your final resting place and will carry you in his heart forever.''
She finished with a touching tribute to the keen dancer: "Take a look around, this is all for you! Sleep tight our beautiful girl. Keep dancing in the sky and show heaven what an angel really is.''
Mrs Munro and her husband Andy asked mourners to wear bright colours and she arrived in a bright red dress while he wore a bright tie.
Parish priest Canon Gerard Tartaglia led the service and told the family: "The whole community is praying for Paige and for you - her mum, dad and dear family.
"I hope the support of so many, here today and beyond, really is a comfort to you while you continue to come to terms with your incalculable loss.''
There was standing-room only in the church and mourners lined the streets to pay their respects.
Paige's white coffin was piped from the church and carried to Dalnottar cemetery in a white horse-drawn carriage pulled by grey horses wearing pink plumed headdresses.
Family floral tributes laid outside St Margaret's and then placed on the coffin spelled out sister, niece, daughter and Paige, and included an angel, rainbow, star and pouting lips.
Following the teenager's death, people including Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon showed the family support by posting pictures of themselves pouting with the hashtag PoutforPaige.
The order of service carried a message of thanks from the family and a pouting picture of Paige as well as an image of angel wings with the tribute "your wings were ready but our heart was not''.
Paige, from Clydebank, would have been 16 last Sunday. She was reported missing after failing to turn up at her weekend hairdressing job on March 19.
Her body was recovered from bushes at the side of Great Western Road in Clydebank two days later.
John Leathem, 31, has appeared at Dumbarton Sheriff Court charged with murder.
