2.7 min readBy Published On: July 23rd, 2015Categories: Features2 Comments on Remembering Amy Lord

Written by Christine Fennelly

Today is Amy Lord’s anniversary. Two years ago a 24 year-old vibrant, educated, loved and beloved young woman was brutally and mercilessly kidnapped from our community and murdered.

Sadly, there are too many deaths in our city to count. Needless car accidents, drug overdoses and violent attacks litter the front pages.

But Amy’s death struck me in a visceral way. It struck me because I was Amy Lord. In 1993 I was a 26-year old woman living on East Fifth Street with my roommate. I had a great job at Channel 56, a boyfriend I loved, friends and hobbies. We would think nothing of running in the early morning hours, walking down to the Farragut House for dinner or hitting Touchie’s for last call. I bought my first condo in 1996 when Southie was, well, not the Southie it is today. I continued to live alone in South Boston until I married in 2004.

Amy Lord’s murder struck me viscerally because now I am Amy Lord’s mother. My son is only 9, but the thought of something happening to him in a similar fashion cripples me. The thought of the pain and anguish the Lord family experiences each day cripples me.

I wrote to the Lord family after Amy’s death. I know a lot of South Boston residents traveled to Wilbraham to offer their condolences and sympathies after Amy’s murder. The Lord family never felt animosity towards or community. I recall they took out a full page advertisement in one of our papers to express their deep gratitude and appreciation for the outpouring of support from Southie people.

I wrote to the Lord family again when that monster who shall not be named was convicted. I wanted to simply offer my support and let them know that Amy is not forgotten. A few weeks later I received a beautiful hand-written note from her mom, Cindy.

She wrote:  “Amy had truly embraced South Boston as her new ‘Wilbraham.’ She could feel the community strength and loved that people were raising their families and building a life there. She had found a local mechanic, doctor and favorite coffee shop and bars. She loved Castle Island, their ice cream and walking around on Halloween and seeing the children. Our hearts are truly broken and we can never be the same without her but we always knew it was because of one evil man and one random act – never the community.”

Amy had a bumper sticker on her Jeep that was useful in the investigation – it was in memory of a childhood friend who had passed. Detectives were able to identify her car in surveillance video using the sticker. After her death, Amy’s family and friends created a sticker to remember Amy, a lover of all things sparkly. She was often heard saying “there’s no such thing as too much sparkle.” 

Mrs. Lord sent me a sticker and it is lovingly displayed on my car. Amy’s family and friends also created a website to encourage random acts of kindness in memory of the kindest and most loving person they knew. Visit it here:  www.aimforkindness.com

God Bless Amy, and may she rest in peace. 

2 Comments

  1. Margo July 23, 2015 at 3:24 pm

    I just finished reading Christine Fennelly's article on Amy Lord. I have tears in my eyes.  Yes, we were Amy.  While living here in South Boston we often stayed out far too late at night, ok, sometimes until the wee hours of the morning while in our 20's.  And never once did we ever even think! about a fate as terrible as Amy's.  Our collective heart breaks for her and her family.  May she rest in eternal peace.

     

  2. Ellie Kasper July 23, 2015 at 6:41 pm

    The steeple at Gate of Heaven is lit in Amy's memory this week.

Comments are closed.