The death of a mother and grandmother in the Omagh bombing left her husband a “broken man” and changed the lives of her family, the inquiry into the atrocity has heard.
Veda Short (56), from Dooish, died after being evacuated onto Market Street shortly before the Real IRA blast in August 1998.
The mum-of-four had been working in Watterson’s clothes store on the afternoon of the bomb.
She had been manager of her department in the shop, with the inquiry hearing she often took a late lunch to allow her staff to eat first.
A statement on behalf of her children Alison, Elaine, Ian and Frances, read to the inquiry by solicitor Conor Cullen, said Mrs Short had recently lost her own mother.
“She was just getting over the death of her own mother the previous October,” they said.
“The day before the bomb, Elaine had given birth to her fourth child in Dundonald Hospital.
“Mum was taken up to Belfast that night to see her new grandson Lee. She had taken photographs of Lee and got to hold him.
“On that day, mum went to work in Watterson’s, as normal on a Saturday morning. She was planning to babysit for Alison that night as it was their first wedding anniversary.
“Our whole lives changed that day. Our loving mother was taken away from us in such a brutal manner.
“We never got the chance to say goodbye or see her grow old or take care of her, as she had done for us.”
The children said the bomb had a devastating effect on their father.
“Our dad was a broken man from that day on. His whole world had just collapsed and he had nothing left to live for,” they said.
“We lost both our parents that awful day. Our dad became depressed and, with ill-health, he passed away in June 2004 aged just 64 — another tragedy of the Omagh bomb.
“We all did our best to look after Dad, which wasn’t easy, as we had all been dramatically affected by that day and we tried to carry on for our own families.
“We were left with no mother to turn to for her wise words and hugs. Mum was a healthy 56-year-old woman who had still a lot to live for and to give to her family.”
Mrs Short’s family said she had missed out on all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren who had been born since that day in 1998.
“Mum would have been 82 years old now. She has missed out on so much from our family life,” they said.
“She missed out on seeing three more grandchildren who were born after the bomb, the weddings of eight of her grandchildren and the births of eight great-grandchildren.
“Our mum also missed out on Ian’s wedding, which was a hard day for us all. She would have been so proud of her boy.
“There is not a day goes by that we all do not think of her.”