‘You were everything, my best friend, my soulmate’

MOURNERS at the funeral of Patrick Rogers who died in a fatal road traffic collision on Boxing Day heard one final poignant message to him from his wife read out at the Requiem Mass.

Mr Rogers (26) died when the car which he was driving was involved in the head-on collision with a second vehicle on the main A29 Dungannon to Cookstown Road.

The funeral took place in the Church of St Joseph and St Malachy’s in Drummullan on Friday.

His wife, Shannon, was unable to attend the funeral due to injuries sustained. She watched the Requiem Mass on webcam and the letter from her to him was read out by a friend during the Prayers of the Faithful.

In it, the mother of four wrote to her ‘dear husband’ telling him that she ‘would love him forever.’

“To my dear husband. You were my everything, my best friend, my soulmate,” she said.

“You had the best brown eyes, gentle hands and the kindest heart. You were the best dad, always cracking jokes and the biggest entertainer. You were always young at heart – always the most competitive and never let us win on the X-Box.

“I will love you always will look to you when I need help.”