Lions Club Apologizes For 'Regretful' Handling Of Grieving Mother

WOBURN, MA -- The Woburn Lions Club apologized Saturday for the way it told Lindsey Keane, the mother of a 15-month-old whose death while in a babysitter's care was ruled a homicide, that she would not be allowed to march in its 63rd annual Woburn Halloween parade Sunday. Keane took to Facebook this week, saying her request to march in the parade with a banner memorializing her son Noah Larson was denied on the grounds her participation and the banner would be political.

On Saturday afternoon, the Lions Club issued a statement saying the way the decision was conveyed to Keane was "regretful" and that it had reached out to Keane's family to apologize. The group did not, however, back off its decision to not allow Keane to participate in the parade:

"The Board of Directors and the Parade Committee of the Woburn Host Lions Club wish to extend its sincerest apologies for the regretful way that we conveyed our decision not to allow a float from the group Justice for Noah in this year’s Halloween Parade. It was never our intention to add to the sorrow of the family involved or to detract from our mission of raising funds for eye research and sight conservation," the Club said. "We acknowledge that our decision, which was based on 60 plus years of tradition and which we stand by, was not explained appropriately. We have reached out to Noah’s family to offer this apology directly and hope to do so at the family's convenience. "

While the Middlesex District Attorney's office ruled Noah Larson's August 2016 death a homicide in May, the office has yet to file charges in the case. Larson was found unresponsive in the care of a babysitter who was watching Noah and his twin sister and was rushed to a hospital, where he died three days later from traumatic brain injuries. Keane and Paul Larson, the child's father, have been vocal about the failure by the District Attorney's office to file charges in the case.

The babysitter was a friend of Keane's and was paid $65 a day to watch the children. A report from the Department of Children and Families said both children had head injuries that could have been as much as a week old at the time Noah Larson was rushed to the hospital.

On Saturday, the online gossip site Turtleboy Sports posted screenshots of emails the Keane had presumably received from Bryan Murphy of the Lions Club explaining the group's decision and reiterating points he had raised in prior phone conversation with Keane. Saturday's statement by the Lions club did not verify whether or not the emails were sent by Murphy.

In the emails, Murphy said the Lions Club did not want to become involved with "any political or otherwise adversarial topic or issue in any way, shape or form," and the club would monitor floats and groups participating in the parade as the Lions Club had heard Keane had contacted other groups to see if she could march with them.

"We are VERY protective of our rather expensive event...and will not have you or people associated with you to join in with others displaying posters etc. on a topic that we have clearly told you we do not want going down our parade route," Murphy reportedly wrote. "You have many other locations, events or places to air your issue/topic, we just do not want this associated with this parade or Lion Club."

The club obtains a permit from the City of Woburn that allows it to oversee all aspects of the parade, including deciding on participants. In her Facebook post, Keane said that she had been told that eight of nine directors had voted against her participation because "our family has turned Noah's case into too much of a political hot button for the Lions Club to even dare stand behind it."

For more on this story, see Turtle Boy Sports.

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Patch file photo of Noah Larson.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).