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COVID-delayed memorial held for Devon Doherty, woman killed in Brooklyn Park bus crash
Family, friends and loved ones are finally gathering to remember a dear friend and loved one, two years later. Devon Doherty was struck and killed by a hit and run school bus driver March 16, 2020 just as the pandemic shut down much of society.
(FOX 9) - Family, friends and loved ones are finally gathering to remember a dear friend and loved one, two years later.
Devon Doherty was struck and killed by a hit-and-run school bus driver March 16, 2020 just as the pandemic shut down much of society.
And now those mourning Doherty are gathering in Minneapolis to grieve together and honor her life after so many funerals and memorial services were put on hold or delayed during COVID-19, including Doherty’s.
"Everyone that knew her absolutely loved her because she just embodied, you know, love and kindness and generosity," Doherty’s boyfriend Jason Tapp told FOX 9’s Paul Blume. "Devon was such a beautiful soul and such a kind and generous person. She was loved by so many people."
Tragically, Doherty, a 45-year old Twin Cities paralegal whose passion was music, was struck and fatally injured by a passing school bus at the intersection of Meadowwood Drive and Humboldt Avenue North in Brooklyn Park.
At the time, family wrote in her obituary that there would be no memorial service because of the pandemic, "Please have a drink, enjoy a song and dance for Devon. She would enjoy that so much," they said at the time.
"She had an absolutely huge group of friends. And so it's really been tough these last couple of years not being able to celebrate her life," explained Tapp.
With most all pandemic restrictions lifted and the criminal case involving the bus driver resolved, Tapp and others close to Doherty wanted to come together to celebrate the woman who touched so many.
Thursday night, March 17, a memorial was organized at the Hook and Ladder Theater and Lounge in Minneapolis with live music planned on Saint Patrick’s Day, for the Irish girl, joked Tapp, who was to fly in from Nashville to be there.
"Now that the world has opened back up. You know, I think it's a wonderful time to be able to celebrate our loved ones," said Tapp. "And you know, the last thing that she said to me was, ‘I love you’ and she kissed me on the forehead. You never really stop grieving… But hopefully we'll get some closure by being able to celebrate her life."
The bus driver who hit her and then fled the scene with young children on board, Jason Rynders of Maple Grove, is currently serving a 41-month prison sentence.