Mourners gather to remember ‘selfless and loving’ Linda

Hundreds gathered at Holy Trinity Chapel in Cookstown this morning (Tuesday) to mourn the passing of Linda Owens, a beloved wife and mother of eight from Rock.

In an emotional and poignant service lead by Fr Lawrence Boyle, Mrs Owens was described as a wonderful and loving wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend and family member.

Mrs Owens passed away peacefully on Saturday after a short illness.

Speaking at the service, Mrs Owens’s close friend, Ciara Hetherington said, “To know Linda was to love her and we loved her dearly.

“No one could deny Linda was born to be a mother, and what a mother.

“She was selfless and fiercly loving and her beautiful kids were her everything.

“Linda was a lady, a ray of sunshine in a, sometimes, very hard world.

“To be born a beautiful soul is one thing, to die as one is an accomplishment.

“To see the tears and the hurt on so many faces has been hard but it is a very powerful message that our girl was loved.

“I could talk for days about this amazing lady and still not say it all.

“I will finish by saying thank you Linda, for being perfectly you.”

In recent weeks, following Linda’s diagnosis, her family were touched and overwhelmed as the community came together in a fundraising effort, raising over £19,000 to help ease the financial burden on the family.

A cherished wife and devoted mother, Linda will be remembered by her husband Stephen, and eight children: Stephen, Conor, Daryl, Shea, Kady, Dylan, Olly and Keva.