A service of thanksgiving for Joyce Louisa McAskie took place at Mountjoy Presbyterian Church in Tyrone. Mrs McAskie, wife of the late Robert McAskie, died suddenly at her home on March 23.

She was mother to Lorna, Richard and Emma. Rev Jonathan Cowan led the service and noted her birth into the Gould family from Brookeborough in Fermanagh.

Rev Cowan stated that her father died when she was a teenager. He added that she helped care for her three brothers while her mother had poor health. Mrs McAskie met Robert McAskie from Mountjoy, married him and moved to Omagh.

Rev Cowan described her as a devoted wife who worked with her husband on their farm. Robert McAskie died four years before the service. She served as a nurse, training daily from Brookeborough to Omagh County Hospital.

Rev Cowan said her nursing care extended into the community as a health visitor. She taught first aid and helped those who were hungry or sick. She was laid to rest in the church graveyard after the service.