RIP: Husband of tragic Galway nurse and mum-of-two tells funeral 'my heart is utterly broken'
She is the mother of two teenage boys
A 50-year-old mother-of-two who was found dead following a missing persons appeal last week has been remembered as a beautiful person and a devoted parent at a funeral service in Galway.
Genevieve Gallagher Rabbette from Claregalway had worked as a nurse at University Hospital Galway (UHG) for 20 years, mostly in the Ophthalmology Department.
She was married to Tadhg Rabbette, and had two sons, Oisín (16) and Callum (14).
At a funeral service in Claregalway on Wednesday, Tadhg recalled meeting Genevieve on Ladies Day at the Galway Races around 23 years ago, which marked the start of their journey together.
He said Genevieve was beautiful and joked that he had been “punching so much above [his] weight” but what made her special was that this beauty was “matched on the inside” as she was “such a good person”.
“She was such a giver,” he told mourners. “She went out of her way to help people, and nothing was too much.”
Tadhg recounted their relationship as she went back to college to study nursing as a mature student, achieving first-class honours, before they married in 2007, on what was “such a happy day”.
Oisín was born in 2010, and Callum came along two years later. “And my God, did she love those boys!” Tadhg said. “She did absolutely everything for them from the minute she got up in the morning until she went to bed at night. She was involved in everything they did.”
Addressing their two sons, Tadhg said: “Oisín and Callum, ye boys were her whole world, and she loved you so much. No little detail was ever left out.
“Looking after you, no matter how busy she was or how tired she was, if anything had to be done for you, it was done.
“And if she didn’t do it, she reminded me about five times to do it. So much of who the lovely young men ye are today is down to her… she was so proud of you boys,” he said.
Tadhg said Genevieve had absolutely loved her job as a nurse, and she was incredibly focused and conscientious about her work, operating “at a mile a minute”.
He said she had saved numerous lives during her years at UHG, having spotted underlying symptoms in patients at the eye clinic, ensuring that they received attention that they didn’t realise they needed.
In his closing remarks, Tadhg addressed Genevieve. “Finally, Jenny, to you,” he said. “My heart is utterly broken. I will miss you and love you so much. I was so proud to be your husband, and absolutely blessed that you chose me.
“Countless times you made me a better man, and I absolutely know you are sitting with your granny now, in total peace, reminding us to do all the right things. The Rabbette boys will love you forever.”
Genevieve is survived by Tadhg, her sons Oisín and Callum, her parents Robert and Mary, her sisters Anna, Melissa, Tara, and Aislinn, as well as colleagues, friends, and extended family.
After the funeral Mass at the Church of the Assumption and St. James in Claregalway, she was laid to rest in Rinville Cemetery, Oranmore.