Rathfriland grieves for Stuart Wilson
Rathfriland came to a standstill on Saturday as large numbers gathered to pay their respects to six-year-old Stuart Wilson. Stuart died on Thursday from injuries sustained in a tragic boating accident at Cranfield Beach.
Mourners packed St John's Church of Ireland in Rathfriland and several hundred stood outside for the funeral service led by the rector, Reverend David Somerville.
He recalled Stuart fondly, describing his love of sport - and especially the football club at Iveagh Park - his enthusiasm in church and Sunday School and his mischievous streak. "[if gte mso 9]><xml> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 </xml><![endif][if gte mso 9]><![endif] <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;} @font-face { panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; font-:11.0pt;"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault { font-:10.0pt;} @page WordSection1 {:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> [if gte mso 10]><![endif]He was a regular wee imp but adorable with it," said David.
Revd Somerville praised the Wilson family, who never left Stuart's side, for their courage and grace. He also paid tribute to the medical professionals who fought to save Stuart's life - from the doctor and nurse on the beach to the specialist teams at Daisy Hill Hospital and the Royal Victoria Hospitals, "[if gte mso 9]><xml> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 </xml><![endif][if gte mso 9]><![endif] <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;} @font-face { panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; font-:11.0pt;"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault { font-:10.0pt;} @page WordSection1 {:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> [if gte mso 10]><![endif]who explored every avenue to bring Stuart's little body back from the trauma."
In an earlier statement, the family said that, although devastated by the death of their son and brother, they were glad that their last memories were of Stuart doing something he loved with his family and friends.