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Moving letter shows joy amidst the grief one year on after Inverness family-of-four were killed in a car accident on the A82 near Fort William


By Louise Glen

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Gemma and Rhys Cousin on their wedding day in 2015.
Gemma and Rhys Cousin on their wedding day in 2015.

The brother of Gemma Cousin has spoken about how her family has managed to find some brightness in an otherwise “dark year” for them all.

The Cousin family from Inverness were killed in a car accident near Fort William a year ago.

Gemma Cousin (26), Rhys Cousin (25), Peyton Cousin (3), and Heidi Cousin (1) all died in the accident on the A82.

Marc Davidson has shared a personal letter written to his sister in which he tells her: “It’s been a while…so I thought I would take the opportunity to pen you a small letter and start by telling you that we miss you guys like crazy, more than you could ever imagine, but we are lifted by the stories people continue to tell and share about you all.

“You really are an inspiration to us all.”

Having asked other family members to contribute their own tales about what they have been up to over the past 12 months, he continued: “I thought I would share with you those little bits of sunshine that have brightened up an otherwise dark year.

“Mum [Tracy Davidson] continues to adapt and overcome her ongoing health issues and it looks like real soon she could be getting her long-awaited lung transplant, maybe we will have her belting out Aretha Franklin numbers sooner than we all think, or maybe completing a 5k run.

“I honestly don’t think I would ever see a more strong-willed human being even if I lived another hundred years.

“Mum continues to be the glue that holds us all together.”

Sharing the achievements of the family’s younger members, he claims the children are the ones keeping the adults on the straight and narrow during almost a year of home schooling and tells her how singer sister-in-law Emma Davidson wrote the song Guiding Light inspired by her life, finding herself dubbed “The Scottish Adele” in the process.

He continued: “The whole family got together in summer to hold what we have now named ‘Fam-Fest’. A one-day event where we sang, danced, laughed and cried, which just so happened to be Gemma’s birthday.

’It really was a great day and we hope to do it all again this year.

“The whole extended family is also collaborating on a song for you guys which I’m sure you’d love, but in keeping with our family tradition, its all been lastminute.com!”

He added: “Finally, leaving the biggest and arguably best news till last – and news I know Gemma would be jumping at – Paige and Jonathan are having a baby and they just found out it will be a boy, due in June.

“Paige says if she’s half the mother you are, then she will be doing all right, and I don’t think many would disagree with her, either.”

Related article: £10k raised for funeral of Inverness family killed in A82 accident near Fort William; photo montage of memories viewed thousands of times online

Related article: Heartbroken relatives of Inverness family killed in A82 car accident near Fort William say loss will be felt far and wide


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