It will probably take the families of a father and son killed in a road traffic collision last Friday afternoon”the rest of their days to absorb,” mourners at their funeral were told today (Wednesday).
Peter Devlin, 63, and his son Loughlin, 28 – from Killylea – died in the accident on the Killylea Road, just a couple of minutes from their family home, on December 27. They had just left to enjoy a family day out.
A joint funeral mass took place in the Church of St Joseph, Tynan, this afternoon.
The parish priest offered up prayers for Ursula Devlin – wife of Peter and mother to Loughlin – who remains seriously ill in hospital. Loughlin’s son, Brodie, is also receiving treatment at the Royal in Belfast. Wife Shauna suffered injuries but was able to be by her husband’s coffin in church.
At the beginning of the service, a number of offertory gifts were brought to the altar, including a paint brush symbolising Peter’s trade as a painter and decorator – “his attention to detail and craftsmanship was second to none”.
A recent Valentine’s card sent by Peter to Ursula which mourners heard symbolised his love for his wife and devotion to their marriage.
Other items included a teddy bear, belonging to Loughlin’s son, Brodie, symbolising his “pride” at becoming a father for the first time. It was only recently that Brodie was baptised in the very same church.
The priest spoke about an extended family photograph offered up on the altar “taken in this church just about three and a half months ago, the 14th of September, when little Brody was baptised”.
“The parents, the grandparents and myself holding the baby in the middle,” he said. “None of us could foresee back in September how the year was going to pan out for the Devlin family. From one of complete joy; new parents with their first baby – Peter and Ursula, their first grandchild. They couldn’t have foreseen what was going to happen in a few short months.”
He spoke of how Loughlin and his wife Shauna were building a new home together.
The priest added: “It’s impossible to sum up the grief here today; maybe each one of us can be a little bit more careful on the roads.
“I’m speaking to myself as well as to each one of you. Please, this brings home the heartache that can be caused … please, please show more care on the roads.”
The priest thanked those who came on the scene, “offering what comfort and consolation they could”, as well as emergency services and hospital staff who responded, and those who have helped with arrangements in the days that have followed.
Both Peter and Loughlin were laid to rest in the adjoining cemetery afterwards. May they both Rest in Peace.
