'I am heartbroken': Daughter writes about ex-Crystal Lake man killed in Boulder shooting
To his daughter, Kevin Mahoney represented all things love.
Mahoney, 61, was one of 10 people killed Monday in a shooting at King Sooper's grocery store in Boulder, Colorado. In the immediate wake of his death, Mahoney's daughter, Erika Mahoney, took to Twitter to write a heartfelt tribute to her father, a former Crystal Lake resident.
"I am heartbroken to announce that my Dad, my hero, Kevin Mahoney, was killed in the King Soopers shooting in my hometown of Boulder, CO," Erika Mahoney wrote. "My dad represents all things Love. I'm so thankful he could walk me down the aisle last summer."
The post was accompanied by photos of Erika Mahoney lovingly looking up at her father as the pair walked arm-in-arm down the aisle.
"I admire my dad so much, and that's why I picked that photo," she said.
Also killed Monday was Jody Waters, 65, a Barrington High School graduate.
Erika Mahoney is the news director at KAZU Public Radio, an NPR-member station in California. During an interview for NPR's Monday morning edition, Erika Mahoney tearfully spoke with reporter Noel King about her father's legacy in the community.
"If I could give him an award, it would be the best dad award because he was like a dad to the entire neighborhood here in my hometown of Boulder, Colorado," she said.
A former hotel industry worker, Kevin Mahoney retired early from his career, allowing him time for what mattered most, his daughter said.
"I'm just so happy that he did that now because he was able to do the things he really loved," Erika Mahoney said. "He traveled a lot and he went skiing a lot and he visited me a lot."
The morning of the shooting, Kevin Mahoney was picking up groceries for the family. It was an errand he adopted in an effort to help his wife throughout the past year, Erika Mahoney said.
"During the pandemic, he was the one that would do a lot of the shopping, and King Sooper's is five minutes from my home," she said. "That's where I've gone since I was 5 years old."
Erika Mahoney described her father as someone with a "big heart" who often broke out in song and was cherished by the local community.
"One death trickles to so many people and to an entire community and beyond," Erika Mahoney said.
In addition to Mahoney and Waters, other victims of the shooting are Denny Stong, 20; Neven Stanisic, 23; Rikki Olds, 25; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; police officer Eric Talley, 51; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Teri Leiker, 51; and Lynn Murray, 62, The Associated Press reported.
Kevin Mahoney isn't the first Crystal Lake resident lost to a Colorado mass shooting. In 2012, U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class John Larimer was one of 12 people killed in the massacre at a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora, Colorado. Those who knew Larimer described him as "a funny, quirky guy" who "always could light up a room."
Anyone seeking to support the Mahoney family should visit the Boulder Office Of Emergency Management for a list of verified charitable funds for victim support, KAZU Public Radio reported