Nora O’Hagan, Cookstown, fatal road collision: Mourners hear devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother epitomised Good Samaritan from the Gospels

Nora O’Hagan, 68, from Cookstown died on 26 October after a collision between a white Ford Transit and a grey Audi A4 on the Woodlough Road in Dungannon on Wednesday 16 October.

A family notice said that Nora, of Adair Avenue, Cookstown, was the loving wife of Eugene and devoted mother of Marica, Sinead, Colette and Paul; mother in-law of Ronan, Edward, Aidy and Mariclaire as well as a grandmother of 11 and great-grand-mother of two.

Her funeral took place at the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, Cookstown today, Tuesday 29 October.

After a reading of the story of the Good Samaritan, Parish Priest Fr Lawrence Boyle said it had been chosen because Nora was herself a Good Samaritan.

The many stories that her family and friends had heard about her in recent days had really lifted them, he added.

"Nora not only cared for her children and her grandchildren and her great grandchildren but her outreach was a beautiful outreach... to anybody that needed help; even just a listening ear, even a kind word.

"Nora was the person who would say: 'If there's anything I can do, don't hesitate to ask me; I will be here for you; I will do my best'."

In the gospel story, a range of religious people walked past the victim of robbers lying at the side of the road, while the Samaritan stopped to help him.

Fr Boyle noted that Jesus finished his story by asking who the good neighbour had been - concluding that it had been the person who stopped to help.

"And that is how you summed up your mother over these last few days - as a grandmother, a carer, a nurse, a mother, a grandmother, a lover, a giver."

"All of us who bear the title Christian are called in some way to be a Good Samaritan.”

Death was not the end for her, he added.

"'Nora', Jesus would say, 'come good and faithful servant - now enter God's kingdom'," he added.

The PSNI has appealed for witnesses or footage regarding the collision on tel 101, ref 1197-16/10/24, or at www.psni.police.uk/makeareport

There have been a spate of road tragedies in recent days.

On Monday police said that Brendan Conlan, 83 from Cookstown area, had died in hospital after being injured in a crash on the Tamlaght Road just outside Coagh on October 20.

His funeral mass is at The Church of The Immaculate Conception, Moortown tomorrow.

Two brothers were also killed in a road crash on Friday on the Frosses Road at Ballymoney.

The funeral for Samuel Holmes, 75, is tomorrow in Murdock’s Funeral Home in Coleraine, while his brother Desmond’s funeral service will be at Antrim and Newtownabbey Crematorium on Thursday at 10am.

Sinn Fein councillor John McNamee told the News Letter he was visiting the wake of Mrs O'Hagan when he met some members of Mr Conlan's family. He said it was “a tough time all round for Cookstown”.