A priest has described a Derry woman who tragically lost her life in a car crash as a ‘cheerful and compassionate’ mother devoted to her husband and three young boys.
Fr John Farren was speaking at the funeral of Siobhan Hutcheon this morning, where hundreds of mourners flocked to the Sacred Heart Church in Muff for requiem mass.
The 38 year-old was killed last Saturday when her car collided with a bus on the main Derry to Letterkenny Road.
Her three sons were also injured in the crash.
One of her sons, Callum, was able to attend this morning’s service, while his brothers Ben and Jake are still recovering in hospital.
Addressing those in attendance, Fr Farren said that the loss of Siobhan had been a ‘devastating and heartbreaking’ blow for her family.
“The loss of someone we love is always sad,” he said.
“The loss of Siobhan at such a young age is a shattering, heart-breaking and devastating blow for her husband Warren, Callum, Jake and Ben and her parents, siblings, extended family, friends and colleagues.
“Siobhan was so central to the lives of the boys. Someone on whose life they had pinned so much. She was a central and vital part of the lives of her parents and siblings too.”
Fr Farren added that the hundreds of people who attended both the wake and the funeral had showed how much Siobhan meant to so many people, such as the customers of Lloyd’s Pharmacy on the Strand Road where she had worked.
“She was a valued member of staff, she had a good work ethic and was always cheerful and compassionate,” he added.
“Siobhan possessed the gift of being able to make people feel special, and was always kind to customers and was a calming influence."
During the service, Fr Farren also quoted lines from Michael Jackson’s song ‘Gone Too Soon’, to describe the sadness of her passing.
“Like a comet blazing across the sky, gone too soon,
“Like a rainbow fading in the twinkling of an eye, gone too soon,
“Shining, sparkling, splendidly bright,
“Here one day, gone one night,
“Like the thought of sunshine on a cloudy afternoon, gone too soon.”
Mrs Hutcheon was laid to rest in the City Cemetery after the service.
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