Family and friends of Daniel Greer have paid tribute to his life at his funeral mass, where he was described as a boy with “impeccable manners and unfailing gratitude for everyone and every little thing in life”.
The courageous 16-year-old – who had been battling leukaemia for over two years – passed away at his home on Friday morning (September 20), surrounded by his parents and brother.
Daniel had faced a long road with his leukaemia diagnosis, undergoing chemotherapy, three complicated stem cell transplants, emergency surgeries to deal with complications from treatment and several prolonged hospital stays.
The service was held in the Church of the Sacred Heart, Cloughoge in Newry this morning (Monday), with burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery.
At the outset, the officiating priest welcomed all family and friends to the service, including his mum and dad, Anne and Paul, and his brother James.
Newry’s ‘little warrior’ Daniel Greer loses Leukaemia battle, aged 16
Following the parish priest’s welcome, a number of items were carried to the front of the church – symbols of Daniel’s life and everything that was important to him.
These were: Daniel’s trumpet, symbolising his love of music, being a member of the Cross-Border Orchestra; a Formula One Lego set, representing his creativity; a photo of Daniel and his cats; his family portrait; his gaming controller and headset; and his Panama hat, symbolising his love for travel.
During the funeral, it was said that Daniel was one of the youngest musicians to join the Cross-Border Orchestra, and that he received “phenomenal GCSE results” despite the “gruelling” treatments that he faced.
Following the reading from the Gospel of Luke, the parish priest said: “Just like the disciples in the Gospel, you too had so many hopes and dreams for your Daniel, and you gather to tell Jesus what you had imagined Daniel was going to do with his life.
“He was going to excel in education, in music and sport, he was going to continue to bring nothing but joy and happiness.”
He also described Daniel as a young man of “great faith”, who had visited Knock Shrine prior to his passing.
“He got every single sacrament and he went home and within a number of hours he was gone to God,” he said.
“I would love to be that prepared when it comes to that time. I don’t meet too many who are that prepared.”
A eulogy was also delivered by Sinead, who said: “These are not my own words. They have come from all of you who have loved Daniel and have shared your stories and memories of him over the past couple of days.”
She continued: “Listening to the outpouring of love, it was so clear that Daniel had touched the hearts and souls of so many of us.
“Talking about Daniel today, it has to start and end with family. The four of them – Paul, Anne, James and Daniel – who all very much came as a package deal.
“The Greer way was always to seize life and live it to the fullest. Anne and Paul provided the boys with every opportunity to do just that and Daniel grabbed it with both hands.
“His stunning smile is going to live on in all our hearts and memories.
“For me, his selflessness and consideration for everyone else always blew me away with a simple question – ‘how’s you?’ – always asked no matter how unwell he was himself.
“When asked where his strength came from, the answer was always mum and dad.”
