A young woman who was killed in Waterford last week had fought very bravely to face the difficulties in her life, mourners at her funeral Mass were told on Tuesday.
Samantha Walsh (31), a native of Lisduggan in Waterford city, was found in a flat at Thomas Court on Thomas Street near Waterford city centre on Friday afternoon. A postmortem revealed she had been the victim of an assault.
On Tuesday, Fr Pat Fitzgerald told mourners at the mother-of-four's funeral Mass at St Paul's Church in Lisduggan that it was a great injustice that she was deprived of the opportunities and the possibilities that awaited her in the future by her untimely death.
He said Ms Walsh had a unique personality and character, she loved life, loved music and reading and had a love of boxing. She was kind, generous and always looked out for others and was so proud of her four children and her family.
Ms Walsh's four children, Rebecca, Keith, Sophie and Kara, their father Keith Snr, her parents, Pauline and Raymond and her sisters and brothers, Catriona, Jennifer, Raymond, Stephen and Brian led the mourners at the funeral mass.
And Fr Fitzgerald said that that hoped her family would gather the strength, hope and courage needed on this dreadful day to cope with the terrible trauma and heartbreak that had fallen upon them and he noted that even in her darkest days, Ms Walsh hung on firmly to her faith.
Following the funeral mass, mourners followed the cortege and the short journey to Kilbarry Cemetery in Ballybeg where, Ms Walsh, who was originally from Central Avenue in Lisduggan, was buried.
