Murdered teen pan player buried

God allows bad things to happen to  good people and suffering must be used to our good to redirect our path in life and unite us. This was the message delivered yesterday by Canon Clive Griffith at the funeral of 18-year-old murdered pan player Maria Althea Greenidge. Greenidge was killed last week and robbed of $15 and a pair of sneakers. Greenidge’s boyfriend Darryl Osbourne could not attend because he is presently in police custody charged with the July 7 murder of Central businessman Pradeep Chris Seecharan of Mc Bean, Couva. Last Thursday Osbourne asked Chief Magistrate Sherman Mc Nicolls to be allowed to attend Greenidge’s  funeral. He was referred to the Prisons Comm-issioner.

Yesterday at the  funeral service held at the St Andrew’s Anglican Church, Couva, Canon Griffith told mourners: “Pain and suffering is God’s way of alerting us that something is wrong  with the world, pain and suffering occurs because God wants to redirect our path and eventually  unite us.” The Canon said many people ask questions such as, Why do bad things happen to good people  and  good things happen to bad people? These issues he said remain “mysteries of life”  and its answers are “elusive and out of reach.” The eulogy was delivered by a close friend of the deceased, Ayanna Le Gendre. Le Gendre recalled: “Her personality was very outspoken and she was strong minded, talkative and loved to eat... she always experimented in the kitchen.”

As a member of the Couva Joylanders Steel Orchestra Le Gendre said, “She put her heart and soul into it, like everything she did.” With tears streaming  down  her face Le Gendre ended, “It is very  unfortunate she did not make it home after practice (pan), but she’ll always be at home in our hearts... she would never be taken away from our memories.” Greenidge was a member of the Couva Joylanders Steel Orchestra and the band played hymns yesterday at the church service. Greenidge’s body was found last Saturday near the heliport at Camden Road, Couva.