A requiem mass took place at Holy Cross Church in Ardoyne for Mary McCrudden, a North Belfast grandmother who died in a collision with a lorry on Ardoyne Avenue on Tuesday.

The priest at the service noted that McCrudden married Tommy McCrudden at the same church on 1 April 1978. He placed the Book of the Gospels on her coffin to signify her commitment to faith and placed a cross on the pall to represent her endurance.

Mary McCrudden's grandson Emmett read a eulogy. He stated that she had faced challenges including the loss of her baby son Kevin and years of chronic pain that affected her mobility. Emmett said she had prepared for knee replacement surgery by losing weight and remained active, including weeding her garden the week before her death.

Emmett described McCrudden as the central figure in her family who organised activities and ensured everyone was cared for. He noted her habit of walking out to talk with neighbours contributed to the fatal incident on a familiar route.

Mary McCrudden was wife to Tommy McCrudden and mother to Steven, Sean and Briege. She was stepmother to Kathleen, Thomas, Brendan, Eamon, James and Patricia.

After the mass, her remains were buried at Milltown Cemetery.