Mother who died in tragic road collision alongside her niece and nephew was ‘dynamic, joyful’ funeral hears

Funeral mass for Julia McSorley (inset) at St Eugene’s Church, Glenock, Co Tyrone

Clodagh Traynor

A mother-of-five who was one of three family members who died in a tragic road crash earlier this week has been described as someone who always gave a “listening ear” to those in need.

Hundreds of mourners gathered at St Eugene’s Church, Glenock, Co Tyrone, for the funeral mass of Julia McSorley, who died in the crash in Aughnacloy on Thursday.

Mrs McSorley (75) died along with her niece and nephew, Christine and Dan McKane, after the minivan they were travelling in collided with a lorry. The family group had been travelling home after attending a funeral in England.

Mrs McSorley was remembered as “dynamic, joyful, helpful, selfless, smiling, kind, bubbly, happily putting everyone else before herself”.

Father Roland Colhoun told mourners how the grandmother-of-15 and great-grandmother-of-two “loved life” and that her “goodness brought a smile to everybody she met”.

Requiem mass held for Aughnacloy crash victim Julia McSorley

He also spoke of her “maternal bond” with all children and young people.

“Julia was generous all the time, with her time, her possessions, to strangers and especially if it was a person who was in any kind of need. A maternal woman, young people gravitated toward Julia. She gave a listening ear to every person in need. Everyone felt understood and consoled,” he said.

“She treated her children’s friends as if they were her own children. Any one of them could walk into her home at any time and make themselves a cup of tea. They could ring her day or night to drive them or collect them in her car. If anyone asked, Julia said yes - she didn’t know the word no.”

Fr Colhoun said Mrs McSorley was “one in a million” and, although she “didn’t have an easy life”, the pain she suffered “never took away her kindness”.

He said: “Julia didn’t have an easy life. She buried many family members of all ages; battled cancer for years and recovered. But no pain could take away her kindness. Julia never entertained bitterness, just forgiveness.

“Julia never wanted to be first. But in many ways she was number one. She was described at her wake as one in a million, number one in the hearts of her family, her door number is also number one. Our hope at her funeral is that God embraces her good soul as the status of number one today.”

Fr Colhoun said Mrs McSorely was an “outstanding person” who devoted her life to her faith, attending pilgrimages and being present at mass regularly each week.

“Julia lived for God and for the family of God. Julia kept her holy water font filled and instructed family members and visitors to bless themselves each time they left her house. No words that you or I could say would do justice to this outstanding person.

“She loved hymns and she had a beautiful voice for speaking and singing. I will miss her angelic voice when I walk down the aisle today, because she always joined in the hymns, singing like an angel every Sunday morning.”

Fr Colhoun said that the loss of Mrs McSorley, the “death side by side” with her niece and nephew, and the “hospitalisation of four” has left the community “engulfed in grief”.

He expressed gratitude for the “courage and dedication” of the emergency workers who attended the “harrowing” scene.

A representative of President Michael D Higgins, Colonel Stephen Howard, attended the funeral and paid his respects to the family during the ceremony.

Mrs McSorely was laid to rest in the adjoining cemetery.

The joint funeral of Dan (54) and Christine McKane (49) will take place tomorrow in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Strabane.