Carer killed in Randalstown crash lived for her family, says husband

William Clyde told of his devastation after his “first girlfriend and wife” was killed in a collision outside Randalstown on Monday morning.

Michelle McStravick, 35, from Randalstown - who had a teenage daughter - died along with 56-year-old Mrs Clyde, who was from the Antrim area, following the incident on the Church Road shortly before 8am.

Both women were care assistants.

Ms McStravick had also been a popular fitness competitor, winning trophies for bodybuilding.

Mrs Clyde was well-known as a patrol lady for St Comgall’s Primary School in Antrim.

The pair had been travelling in a grey coloured Citroen C1 car which was in collision with a silver coloured Ford Focus at the Moneyrod Road junction.

A man and woman travelling in the second car sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Mr Clyde told the News Letter he had known his late wife “more than half my life”.

“She was the first and only steady girl friend I had - and then I married her,” he added.

“She was a genuinely great woman who put family first. And she was so proud of them all.”

He added that, for his late wife, “everything was about her family”.

“She was so proud that all the children were in full time employment, apart from the wee boy, who is doing his last year at Plymouth university where he is studying criminology with law. He has a summer job with Antrim council.”

He added that his wife had been looking forward to next year when their eldest daughter is due to get married and they would have another one of their children graduating.

“She was excited about that,” he said.

“She enjoyed both of her jobs and was a wonderful care assistant. She also loved helping out with children during school time.

“But everything was about her family.”

Ulster Unionist Antrim councillor Jim Montgomery said the local community was in a state of shock following Mrs Clyde’s sudden death.

He said her death was “a disaster for all the family”.

Social media has been awash with tributes to the women as news of their deaths filtered through the community.

On Facebook, Lynsey McCrudden, a friend and fellow bodybuilder who trained along with Ms McStravick, told of her devastation at the death of “not only my best friend but my sister”.

“I love u chic and I’m going 2 miss my superwoman so much the ‪#‎teamflex‬ family will never b the same uve took a big part of every one of us with u but u also left a big part of u in everyone,” she said.

Requiem Mass for Ms McStravick is expected to take place in Randalstown chapel - Saint Macnissi’s - at 11am on Thursday.

Mrs Clyde’s funeral service is expected to take place in St Comgall’s Church in Antrim on Friday at 12.30pm.