Darryl Thompson: '˜A lovely young man who will be remembered with great affection'

Family and friends of popular 22-year-old Darryl Thompson, from Beragh, gathered at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in the village this morning for Requiem Mass.

Conducting the service, Monsignor Colum Curry said Darryl’s sudden and tragic death had “shocked people throughout this parish and further afield”.

Describing him as “a lovely young man” and “a loyal friend who always had a happy smile that was truly contagious”, he said Darryl “will be remembered and remembered with great affection.”

“There will always be the feeling that there was so much more Darryl could have done; so much more that life had to offer him; so much more he would have achieved, if only circumstances had been kinder to him. But it was not to be,” Monsignor Curry said.

“If we are sad today, there is much to be thankful for. We are grateful for the life he did have, grateful for the way he lived that life and grateful for the tremendous joy and fun that he brought into people’s lives.”

Darryl, whose father Tony was killed in a motorcycle collision in 2006, is survived by his mother Edwina and stepfather Keith, siblings Katie and Jack, and girlfriend Megan.

He was laid to rest in the graveyard adjoining the church.