“She was such a happy kid, the last photo she took of herself said I’m in Montreal now and I love this city,” Galynalegenkovska, the mother of the 7-year-old Ukrainian, launched the sore throat girl .
• Also read: Girl killed in Montreal: from the battlefield in Ukraine to her child’s funeral
That’s what Galynalegenkovska, mother of little Mariia Fleckenkovska, said during a brief press conference she held ahead of the first night of her daughter’s funeral.
She also wanted to thank the public for their support during this ordeal.
Do you remember that a week ago, on her way to school, the girl was mowed down by a driver at the intersection of rue de Rouen and rue Parthenais.
The little girl’s father, Andrii Fleckenkovska, who was repatriated from Ukraine three days ago, was very moved during the ceremony. He continued to stare at Mariia’s face in her small white coffin.
“He is heartbroken, he constantly mourns the loss of his daughter,” Orthodox cleric Volodymyr Kouchnir told the Journal during a phone call Tuesday afternoon.
Photo agency QMI, Mario Beauregard
Mariia’s siblings surrounded by their parents.
Do a mourning here
The young Ukrainian father plans to stay with his family here in Montreal before returning to Ukraine.
“He will stay here for two or three months, but then he wants to return to defend his hometown and country,” said his wife Galyna Fleckenkovska.
Mariia’s mother, younger brother and older sister will remain in Montreal, a city they now call home.
Despite the immense grief, the girl’s mother says she doesn’t blame the driver who hit her daughter on December 13.
“I know it was an accident and he also has a family. I don’t want him to suffer on his part,” she commented.
Remember, the motorist is now facing a hit-and-run fatality charge.
Photo provided by a family member
Mariialegenkovska, 7 years old.
A huge sadness
Ukrainian songs resounded throughout the evening in the well-known Ukrainian Orthodox Saint-Sophie Cathedral, on the corner of Bellechasse and Saint-Michel, where a hundred people gathered.
“It is sad that this family left a catastrophic country to seek peace. We are here for them,” commented Orysia Krucko, Ukrainian-Canadian Congresswoman and member of the Ukrainian-Canadian Women’s Line.
Several members of the Ukrainian community, but also Montrealers, highlighted the departure of little Mariia.
funeral on Wednesday
The official funeral will take place on Wednesday at Saint-Sophie Cathedral. Originally planned to be in the Alfred Dallaire Center, the location had to be changed at the last minute because even more people were expected there than originally planned.
A crowdfunding campaign was launched the day after the accident to support the family through this difficult ordeal. More than $153,000 has been raised to date.
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