Tributes paid to Andy Cardy, who prayed with wife for serial killer Robert Black after he was convicted of murdering their daughter Jennifer Cardy
Tributes have been paid to Ballinderry man Andy Cardy, who together with his wife, Pat, prayed for serial killer Robert Black after he was convicted of murdering their nine-year-old daughter Jennifer.
According to a family notice, Mr Cardy passed away peacefully at home, aged 76, on Wednesday.
He was described as the devoted husband of the late Patricia (Pat) and much loved and loving dad of Mark, Phillip, Victoria and the late Jennifer, as well as father-in-law to Karen, Susan and Andy, and a cherished grandfather and great-grandfather.
Jennifer Cardy, from Ballinderry, was one of four young girls Black was convicted for murdering in 2011.
She was abducted while she cycled to a friend’s house near her Co Antrim home in 1981.
Aged 68, Black died in Maghaberry prison of natural causes. He never accepted guilt, showed any remorse or apologised.
After Black's death, Pat said that as a Christian family, they wished that Black could have had what their whole family did: "just the beautiful peace of God".
She added that she "actually prayed for Robert Black" that he could find this peace, and that "I would have loved that for Robert Black".
Mr Cardy added: “I’ve often said that he stole the life from our daughter but we would not allow him to steal our lives.
“We were determined to live on and live on for the family that we had, but the hurt is still there.
“We miss Jennifer but we have to move on, we have to keep going.”
Speaking after Mr Cardy's death this week, former Lisburn councillor Ron Crawford paid tribute to the friend he had known for 40 years.
"He was quite a character and had a great sense of humor," he said.
They had got to know each other when they attended the same church in Crumlin.
Andy had run a successful kitchen business and was also heavily involved in the Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) which operates Christian camps and meetings for children.
After Black's conviction, he recalled Andy speaking on television.
"He came over very well on TV and I thought he was very gracious."
Pat took ill soon after and Andy looked after her at home and was "really a very caring husband" he said. Pat later died, in 2022.
Ron acknowledged that having a young daughter murdered by a serial killer would have broken many men.
"But in his case, it seemed to deepen his faith. It is hard to fathom, but he bore it very well.
"It was a huge tragedy for them, you know. And all his friends felt the burden too, and the horrific circumstances of their death, especially when it kept reappearing again in the papers."
He said Andy also had "great integrity" in this business and personal life as well.
"He was an absolute character - a bit of a live wire. When he came into a room he soon got everyone going with conversation.
"It's remarkable that for his family to experience that, yet he was still so full of life."
During a recent spell in hospital, he said, Andy was known for cracking jokes with the nurses: "he was just irrepressible."
A Service to celebrate Andy’s life will be in Hillsborough Elim Church, Moira Road, Hillsborough on 27 May at 11.00am