Made every Christmas special for family, friends

On July 11, Judy had tried persuading Francis, 48, to skip work: he had viral fever and a bad cold. But Francis told her he had to attend a meeting with an important client at office 8212; Datamatrix, an overseas recruiting firm in Colaba, where he had been working for 28 years.

8220;That evening, my wife and I had just returned from Bandra. Judy met us on the way and said 8216;Thank God, you people are safe. I was just lighting candles for all of you and praying that you come home safe8217;,8221; says Dominic D8217;Souza, Judy8217;s neighbour and their former parish counsellor. 8220;Everyone in the building returned home safe, except her husband.8221; On his way home in IC Colony, Borivali, Francis was caught in the blast on a train near Khar station. He died instantly.

A homemaker, Judy says she was 8220;completely dependent8221; on Francis, particularly because she would often fall ill. And he would always be there to take care of her. Also, she8217;s diabetic and insulin-dependent.

8220;I used to tell him 8216;I will die before you8217;. I have always been in bed, needing medication for the past 14 years. Now I have to take good care of myself for my daughter8217;s sake. I am only worried about her future,8221; says Judy. Immediately after Francis8217;s death, Judy says she 8220;just wanted to die8221;. But she picked herself up with support from sister Jecinta Tauro and neighbours. Judy recalls Francis used to dote on daughter Jessica: 8220;She was his jaan.8221; Their neighbour, Wilfred Pereira, says: 8220;He would always spend quality time with her. Even after returning tired from work, he would take her to the park.8221;

Jessica misses her father immensely and is often quiet and depressed. 8220;In the day, she is all right. But towards the evening, around the time when her father would come home from work, she becomes quiet,8221; says Judy.

In spite of the financial crunch, Judy cannot think of shifting out of their Borivali home. 8220;We moved here after we stayed in Vasai and Bhayander. It was his dream house. I can feel his presence everywhere,8221; says Judy. Recently, when Judy was cleaning a cupboard, she found Francis8217;s promotion letter. It moved her. 8220;He was a very efficient employee and had brought business to the company. He had received so many best employee awards,8221; she says proudly. 8220;There was something very special about him. He was our best performer. He had built clients in the Middle East and Africa over two decades,8221; says Subhash Bhatia, the CEO of Datamatrix.

8220;Our office was totally numbed for some days. In a job where stress levels are high, he was the most relaxed person,8221; adds Bhatia.

After Francis8217;s death, the company generated close to Rs 13 lakh for the family.