Below is the written version and a recording of Patrick's eulogy at the funeral on September 15, 2026.

Thank you all for being here. We are so grateful you are here to honor our little girl. Our little saint in heaven.

I’m just going to say up front: today, there will be lots of weeping. And that’s a beautiful thing, so let’s lean into it. 

In our household we have “sad tears” and we have “happy tears”. Today will be a little bit of both. For we are heartbroken to say goodbye to our baby girl. Our baby who we didn’t get to hold nearly enough. But we are also joyful in the Resurrection. For we know that Dolores is in heaven, resting in Jesus’ arms. And that is the best place to be.

On April 6, 2026 – Easter Monday – our lives were drastically changed. We were told that our daughter had Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome - a rare condition where the left side of the heart does not develop. It wasn’t a death sentence, but it was a challenging road we now faced. They told us that there was a path to a long life if she made it through three open heart surgeries. 

We were in shock. 

But when our emotions settled and we took it in, we started rallying the troops. We were going to get everyone we could praying for her healing. For a miracle. We dearly wanted this baby. 

And we knew this girl was a fighter before she was born. Our son, David moved a lot in the womb, but Dolores – she moved the most. She had a strong personality before she came into this world.

Jen knew her name pretty quickly and told me her name a week later at our follow up echo visit at Children’s Hospital. 

Dolores Margaret Mary.

She put up a post on Dolores’ website that so beautifully explores the meaning of her name. If you haven’t read it, I encourage you to do so later. 

The name Dolores comes from dolor, a Spanish word meaning sorrow or suffering. It is associated with Mary under the title Our Lady of Sorrows. It was also the name of my grandmother who passed away earlier this year at 96. 

Her middle name, Margaret Mary, comes from St. Margaret Mary Alacoque , the saint associated with the devotion to the Sacred Heart. Jen’s great grandmother was named Margaret and her daughter, Jen’s grandmother, was named Mary. 

She had a strong and faithful name devoted to God, while also carrying the names of strong maternal women who came before her. 

In her short time, I saw echoes of my grandma, and Jen saw her grandmas too. A side eye to the nurses. Sometimes she would make a face that reminded me of faces my grandma would make. 

Today, September 15th is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows - for whom she was named.

I can’t tell you how many little “God moments” we have had along this journey - and continue to have. Little encounters that reminded us that God is with us through every high and every low.

The day she was born was full of those God moments. 

Sunday August 2nd, we went as a family to the Cathedral in Denver to visit a relic from St. Margaret Mary. A relic that just so happened to be brought to Denver that weekend - as if she came just for us. Eight hours later, Jen started labor (and she didn’t realize it). 

Jen really wanted to have a natural birth, but had eventually surrendered it knowing that it was the best thing for Dolores. She had to have a very specialized procedure done immediately for her survival. So we had scheduled a C-section for Thursday, August 6th. 

But Dolores had different plans. 

She was born naturally Monday August 3rd at 3am. We had the perfect staff on call for what we needed. It was the most peaceful and gentle birth. She immediately cried and greeted us and I was privileged to baptize her. My pockets were full of relics and religious medals including one of St. Gemma and one of St. Padre Pio - amazing saints. It just so happened that a Catholic doctor (that we knew through a friend) was on call that night and she made sure our relics stayed with Dolores while she underwent the procedure. 

The reality was, we had no idea if she would survive mere hours after birth. Her lungs were damaged to the point where they did not expect her to live very long. And yet, she was a fighter – and I watched that firsthand, from the moment she took her first breath.

For those that have seen our pictures and seen glimpses of our time at the hospital  – it may seem very intimidating. It may seem like a very scary thing to go through. But for us, what we experienced most of all from day one was gratitude. We cherished every moment that we had with her, and she was the sweetest little girl. 

God gave us the grace to walk into that hospital every single day without fear. We could not have done any of this without His strength. But we were also inspired by our Dolores. This little girl showed us incredible strength and humility, enduring the endless medical interventions that kept her alive. 

She had a mission. God gave her that mission, to lead hearts back to our Father. 

My little heart warrior princess.

Dolores certainly changed our lives. She taught me so many things. She brought me closer to my Father in heaven. She taught me to be more present and embrace each moment. She taught me to be brave and walk in faith. She taught me to be a better man and father. 

Life, no matter how short, is a treasure. I know Dolores has changed so many hearts and lives in her 23 days of life on this earth. Nurses, friends, doctors, and even people we’ve never met. We’ve heard the stories. And for us, that fills our heart. For she was never ours to begin with. She belongs to God. As parents, our job is to nurture and care for her. Our job is to do our best to help her find her path to heaven. And guess what, that’s where she is now. She’s our little saint. Now she prays for us. But to know that God used her beautiful life to draw others closer to Him is a gift. 

Our little Dolores loved to be held. I know all babies love being held, but for her it had such an impact. She spent her whole life connected to tubes and wires, being poked and prodded. But when she was in one of our arms, she finally found peace. 

When we were told that she likely wouldn’t survive going through the first surgery, we both knew it was time to take her home. To put her through more suffering only for her to die in a hospital was not her path. She was always leading us home. And what a joyous day it was to bring her home. 

She gave us time to have one last photoshoot to capture our family together, in our home. She gave us time to have a peaceful night together where she got to sleep in our bed with us. She gave us time to say goodbye. Ellie had a beautiful little moment with her before she left for school. Jen and I got to say our goodbye when I got back from dropping the kids off. And finally, she was able to die peacefully in Jen’s arms, while I held Jen. Looking back you can see God and Dolores had this all planned out and planned it beautifully. 

And now my sweet girl, you rest in the arms of Jesus with your beautiful brothers and sisters. 

Anthony Paul, 

Maura Grace, 

Isabella Rose, 

Michael John, 

Dolores Margaret Mary. 

Please pray for us.