TWO MEMORIAL SERVICES are being held today for husband and wife Cornelius and Angelique Billing who both died following a domestic incident in Co Clare.
Funds are also being raised for their two young orphaned daughters who may return to South Africa, the parents’ home country.
The two died a week before Christmas in Kildysart after both were stabbed and efforts have been made by locals and others to help their two girls .
Kells-based South African woman Liza Dalton was involved in raising money to provide Christmas presents for the two girls.
After the success of those efforts, she is now seeking help to pay for the cremation and repatriation costs of the husband and wife, costs Dalton describes as “astronomical”.
Dalton says she read about their deaths the day it happened and wanted to do something:
With Christmas being around the corner I wanted to make an effort to do something for these girls and make sure they got presents on Christmas Day. I also found out that one of the girls had a birthday so we managed to get her a birthday cake.
The presents were collected and delivered to the garda station in Kildysart before they were brought to the two girls.
Short-term plans are now turning to the costs associated with the Billings’ funeral with Dalton keen to set up a fund that will help the two girls live back in South Africa.
“I don’t just want to help take care of the girls in the short-term. If possible I’d like to help raise funds to pay for their education in the future,” she says.
Dalton has been appointed by the family to act as as a fundraising co-ordinator and anyone who wishes to donate to the fund is asked to contact her through her Facebook page or by using the Paypal account dalton.liza@gmail.com.
Today’s services will be held on the Presbyterian Church on Main street at 11am with another service in Dublin at 3pm.
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