'Words seem horribly insufficient': Mamaroneck remembers mother, son struck by school bus

A grieving Mamaroneck community came out Friday morning to remember and mourn the mother and son struck and killed by a school mini-bus last Thursday as they crossed a busy Mamaroneck Avenue intersection on their way to Mamaroneck Avenue School.

A funeral Mass concluded shortly before 12:30 p.m. at St. Augustine's Church in Larchmont for Molly Murphey Donovan, 43, and her son, Michael Donovan Volpe, 6, who was fondly referred to as Mikey.

Police motorcycles from several communities accompanied two hearses to the church just before the 11 a.m. funeral Mass. Pallbearers then carried two caskets inside.

The Mass began with organ and strings. As the two caskets were wheeled into the church, some dabbed tears with tissues. Others wiped them away with their hands. Family sat in the first two pews.

Between prayers, hymns and readings, Bishop John Bonnici, pastor of the church, spoke fondly of Donovan and Mikey. "Words seem horribly insufficient," he said. "Human words have a great difficulty meeting the mark."

Flowers at the front of the church were arranged in two interlocking hearts — one with white roses and one with red.

Bonnici suggested that the congregation remember the love between a mother and child.

"A child's love and a mother's both offer an ideal, an example that can help us live our lives in a bountiful way," he said.

Donovan and her son were walking to school around 8:30 a.m. June 20 when they were struck by a mini-bus while crossing Mamaroneck Avenue in front of a busy shopping center. Police later said the bus was making a left turn onto Mamaroneck Avenue with a green light. As the bus turned, though, several parents and children were crossing within a crosswalk and with a walk sign. Police called the incident " a tragic accident ."

The mother and son were residents of Mamaroneck.

The pews of St. Augustine's were nearly filled, showing the community's love for a mother and son.

Bonnici spoke of Mikey's optimism and his mom's caring nature, saying 'It's that attitude that Jesus wants us all to embrace."

After the Mass concluded, several priests blessed the caskets in front of the church.

Donovan was a lawyer and interior designer. Friends and loved ones who attended a vigil Sunday night knew her as smart, strong, creative, thoughtful and a loving mom to Mikey. She attended Rye High School and went on to graduate from Michigan State University and Duke University School of Law.

"We were always in awe of her creativity," Caitlin Browne, a friend, said at the vigil. "She made everything around her beautiful and extra special, and she gave Mikey the fullest life imaginable. She was just really smart, funny and fun to be with."

Mikey was finishing kindergarten at Mamaroneck Avenue Elementary School. Friends said he was best known for his love of trains, Legos and knock-knock jokes. He also had a fondness for the New York City subway system and skyscrapers.

In lieu of flowers, the Donovan and Volpe families are requesting donations to Advocates for Children of New York .

Vigil for Mamaroneck mom, son killed: Mamaroneck remembers mother, son struck and killed by mini-bus

"Michael was an angel," Mikey's grandfather, Tom Volpe Sr., said the day after the tragedy.

Tom Volpe Sr.'s son, Tom Volpe Jr., is Mikey's father and Donovan's ex-husband.

"He was very loved and he knew it," Volpe Sr. said of his grandson. "He had a good six years on this planet."

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: 'Words seem horribly insufficient': Mamaroneck remembers mother, son struck by school bus