The sky above was cloudy and grim, but they could still see their Ray of Sunshine.
Family members and friends gathered at Raylene Dawn Grant’s final resting place this past Sunday, April 19, for an emotional tribute to the murder victim.
“Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, but Raylene’s love leaves us with memories that no one can steal,” Bev Jackson, Grant’s aunt, told the assembled mourners.
Her orange hair fluttering in the spring wind, Jackson recalled how Grant’s 2011 death at age 21 devastated her loved ones.
“Our hearts were broken. Our world seemed like it had ended,” she said. “Our dreams, our hopes and future with Raylene was over.
“Our children are not supposed to die and we are never prepared for that.”
Jackson said her niece “is worth loving and worth the pain of remembering, even this much pain.
“We have a new perspective on the fragility and preciousness of life. We continue to pray for strength, love, support and energy as we continue to heal after the tragedy of losing our beloved.
“Tomorrow will come. The pain will ease. But we will never forget Raylene Dawn Grant.”
Gathered near Grant’s columbarium niche at Hillside Cemetery, 25 or so mourners then released balloons, filled with helium and adorned with personal messages, into the sky.
Next they took turns placing flowers inside a glass holder beside Grant’s niche. Tears, smiles and hugs flowed freely. Jackson and others snapped photos.
Grant, a Flin Flon resident known as “Ray of Sunshine” for her warm presence, was murdered at the Royal Hotel on Novermber 1, 2011.
Sunday’s gathering allowed her loved ones to again pay their respects following February’s conviction of James Desmarais, 48, in Grant’s death.
Desmarais received a life sentence with no chance of parole for 15 years.
