Clodagh Hawe would have turned 40 on Easter Sunday.
A sombre occasion for her family who are still trying to come to terms with the tragic events that happened last August.
Alan Hawe killed his wife Clodagh and his sons Liam (14), Niall (11) and Ryan (6). The deputy principal left a note on the back door of their home asking the person who first arrived at the scene to ring the authorities. He then killed himself inside their house in Cavan - a quiet area on the border with Northern Ireland.
The family were buried side by side in the same plot at the local graveyard, St Mary's Church, after the tragedy - the three boys in the middle with a parent at each end.
At the request of Clodagh's family, yesterday Alan Hawe's body was exhumed and removed from the cemetery for cremation. His ashes will be returned to his surviving family in Kilkenny.
Her family had requested his removal from the plot shortly after their funerals, but delays in the council meant this didn't happen until now.
Speaking to the BBC, her sister, Jacqueline Connolly said she was there when the body was exhumed:
"As he left the cemetery, the sun broke through the clouds and I cried with relief that he was gone. At least Clodagh and the boys can rest in peace now that he has gone, thank God."
Jacqueline said her family will "never recover" from losing her in such a tragic way.
