Tullamore 'greatly saddened' as mother of missing woman, Fiona Pender, laid to rest
The mother of missing Offaly woman Fiona Pender is being laid to rest in Tullamore today.
Josephine Pender died earlier this week following a short illness.
A funeral mass is being held at St Colmcille's Church in Durrow, followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery.
Last month marked 21 years since her pregnant daughter disappeared from Tullamore.
Fiona and her unborn child disappeared in 1996.
She was last seen at her flat at Church Street at 6am on Friday, August 23, of that year.
At that time she was seven months pregnant, and had spent the previous day shopping for baby clothes with her mother.
In a statement following Josephine Pender's passing, Monsignor Sean Heaney of Tullamore Parish said: "The community of Tullamore is greatly saddened by the death of Josephine Pender."
"Her determination and single mindedness has been an inspiration to many people who are similarly tortured by the unsolved mystery of the disappearance of a loved family member.
"There is great sadness that Josephine did not live to see closure of the mystery of Fiona's disappearance."
