‘I miss Martin, I miss my best friend’: Jane Richard reflects on brother killed in marathon bombings

BOSTON — It has been 10 years, but the pain of losing her older brother, Martin, hasn’t left Jane Richard.

The two young siblings were near the Boston Marathon finish line on April 15, 2013 when bombs suddenly went off, sending shrapnel everywhere.

Martin Richard, just 8, was killed. He was the youngest among the victims who died in the bombings.

Jane, just 7 at the time, suffered serious injuries and lost her left leg.

In a solemn post on Instagram on Saturday, the 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings, Jane Richard, now a teenager, penned a heartfelt tribute to the brother she misses every day.

“Ten years ago today my best friend died,” she wrote. “Growing up with Martin was the best thing that could’ve happened to me. Although I only spent 7 short years with him, the impact he left on me was immense. He was my partner in crime, and the best older brother you could ask for.”

Jane called her brother “the most charismatic eight year old I’d ever met.”

“He was kind, and loving, and smile his way through every inconvenience. Unlike most older siblings, he was the kind of brother that would dance and sing, and put up with any of my antics. We played street hockey and swam at the lake. Simply put, he was the kind of kid you wanted to be around,” she wrote.

“Just weeks before his passing I remember cheering on the bruins, and him comforting me when they didn’t make it through the playoffs,” she wrote. “He could make you smile with the snap of his fingers and I miss that so much. over the years he’s become a sort of brand of courage and kindness but truth be told if he saw me writing this right now he would say “jane stop crying at your phone you look dumb.” He was honest, and witty, and sarcastic, and kind, and I am so sad that I couldn’t watch him grow into an incredible man I know he would be.”

“I miss Martin, I miss my best friend. I love you kid, never stop smiling,” she wrote.

The Richard family remains involved with volunteerism and helping others. The Martin Richard Foundation honors the memory of Martin with its mission of inclusion, kindness, justice and peace.

And, Henry Richard, brother of Jane and Martin, ran the marathon in 2022. He is set to run the race again on Monday.

Martin Richard was among three people killed on April 15, 2013; : 23-year-old Lingzi Lu and 29-year-old Krystle Campbell also died in the Boston Marathon bombings. More than 250 people were injured and 17 people lost limbs in the blasts.

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