A Sunday school teacher’s murder in the Omagh bomb cut short a life rich in kindness, love and promise, the inquiry into the outrage has heard.
Esther Gibson, 36, was engaged to be married at the time of her death in August 1998 when a dissident republican car bomb exploded in the centre of the Co Tyrone market town on a busy Saturday afternoon.
The trained secretary, who worked at an Omagh clothing manufacturing factory, was one of 29 people who lost their lives on the day.
The second week of commemorative hearings for the victims began with a tribute written by Ms Gibson’s four younger sisters.
It was read by one of her nieces in a recorded presentation played to inquiry chairman Lord Turnbull.
It described how Ms Gibson had grown up as part of a tight-knit family that lived on a farm near Beragh, Co Tyrone.
In that environment she developed a “strong sense of duty and compassion that would characterise her life”, the statement said.
Ms Gibson’s sisters spoke of the “joy and purpose” she found in her strong Christian faith. She was a regular attender at Sixmilecross Free Presbyterian Church, where she was known for her “warmth and generosity”.
“Esther was also actively involved in her church community, teaching Sunday school classes and serving as a role model for the younger generation,” the sisters’ statement said.
“Her commitment to her faith and to helping others was evident in all aspects of her life.
tight-knit
“At the time of her death, Esther was engaged to be married, looking forward to a future filled with hope and happiness. She was a young woman with much to look forward to. Her career was flourishing, her faith was strong, and she was preparing to embark on a new chapter of her life with her fiance.
“Esther’s murder cut short a life that was rich in kindness, love and promise.
“She was deeply loved by her family, friends and community, and her absence is profoundly felt by all who knew her.”
One of Ms Gibson’s sisters – Caroline Martin – then read a poem to the inquiry that was written by a close relative in the months after her death.
The poem was about her absence from Ms Martin’s wedding, which took place around six weeks after the bombing.
Ahead of reading the poem, Ms Martin told the inquiry how she and Ms Gibson, who were both engaged, planned the sequencing of their weddings.
“Esther had suggested, she had said because I was the younger sister to let me have my date first,” she said.
Ms Martin then read out the poem, which described her older sister as a “silent special bridesmaid” and recounted how a bouquet of flowers tied with a blue ribbon was left on a table in the church to symbolise her.
The final line of the poem read: “Broken spirits, shattered dreams, blue ribbons holding together memories, sweet memories that will linger always.”
After it was read to the inquiry, Lord Turnbull thanked the family for sharing their memories of Ms Gibson.
“Esther was plainly a caring and generous Christian person with a strong sense of community, whose life and personality acted as a good role model for others,” he said.
“Like a number of those killed on that day, Esther was on the brink of a new life full of promise and happiness, which she was so cruelly robbed of.
“Her absence will have constituted a profound loss to her family and to all who shared her company.”
