"Dan Kerrigan was, first and foremost, a man whose family was the center of his world," says a statement released by the Kerrigans.
Olympic skater Nancy, who arrived with other family members at the funeral home for the wake at 3:30 p.m., said in the statement her father "was there behind me always" and that he was "an extra parent" to the two sons and a daughter she shares with husband Jerry Solomon.
The family also described Daniel Kerrigan as a devoted husband to his legally blind wife, Brenda; a youth coach for his sons' hockey teams; and the one-time president of the Stoneham Figure Skating Club.
Said his son Michael: "I was virtually unable to go anywhere as a kid or an adult, without someone coming up to me saying, with a big smile, 'I just saw your dad – he's the greatest.'"
Mark Kerrigan has pleaded not guilty to assault and battery on an elderly person resulting in serious bodily injury.
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•Additional reporting by JUDY RAKOWSKY
