Service Held for Mother, Son Killed in Home by Plane Crash
As waves lapped against the beach and planes flew overhead, hundreds of mourners filled an oceanside church Friday for a mother and son killed when American Airlines Flight 587 slammed into their home.
The crowd spilled onto the sidewalks outside St. Francis de Sales Church to bid farewell to Kathleen Lawler, 48, and her 24-year-old son, Christopher.
Bagpipers played “Amazing Grace” as the twin mahogany coffins were carried past a fire department honor guard and inside the small church just one block off the Atlantic Ocean.
“All I can tell you is after this week there’s going to be an awful lot of love, an awful lot of hugs and an awful lot of prayers,” said Tom Lawler, who was golfing Monday morning when the plane hit his home.
Kathleen Lawler, a secretary for the Diocese of Brooklyn, was on the phone to her sister and Christopher was asleep in the basement when the plane nose-dived into their home.
More than 200 people filled the church for the service, with double that number standing outside.
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