THERE were heartbreaking scenes as teenager Callum Dale was laid to rest in Buncrana.
Hundreds of mourners packed into Cockhill Church to hear parish priest Fr John Walsh pay tribute to the 13-year-old.
Callum, who suffered from Asperger’s Syndrome, died late last Thursday night after being hit by a car not far from his home.
His dad Peter was seriously injured in the incident. He was able to attend the funeral with the aid of wheelchair.
He sat alongside Callum’s mother Deirdre, supported by close relatives and friends throughout the touching funeral Mass.
They heard parish priest Fr John Walsh pay tribute to the boy for his incredible intelligence, telling stories about how he had asked questions at school which other children hadn’t.
Fr Walsh said: “Deirdre has told me that their lives will never be the same again.
“He was her whole life and she had fought for him every day. Peter, Deirdre and Callum – the three of them have been inseparable.
“Both Deirdre and Peter feel a huge gaping emptiness in their lives. Callum has given them so much.”
Mourners in the chapel wept openly; pupils from Callum’s school Crana College, their teachers and their many friends and relatives.
Prayers were said for Callum’s granny who is ill in London and who was unable to attend the Mass.
And there were also prayers from the woman whose car collided with Callum and his dad last week.
Fr Walsh said Callum faced many challenges in his life but underneath he was a bright and beautiful child.
Callum was laid to rest afterwards in the adjoining cemetery.
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