Mum who died 16 months after brutal assault had a heart of gold, funeral told
HUNDREDS of mourners who attended the funeral of a west Belfast mother who died 16 months after being viciously assaulted were told that she had a “heart of gold”.
Joleen Corr (27) died last Thursday, 10 days after a judge issued a landmark ruling that her life support should be withdrawn due to the severity of the pain caused by the injuries she sustained in December 2016.
She had been in a vegetative state since the attack.
Father Anthony Devlin urged the congregation in St Paul’s Church on the Falls Road to pray for her son James, who was her greatest “success and source of joy” in life.
“He is too young to understand his loss,” he said. “He just knows that things have changed completely — there will be great love and care for him as he takes his next steps.”
Fr Devlin recalled how the “bubbly” mum-of-one was “full of life” before she was assaulted in her Downpatrick home and left needing round-theclock care.
“St Peter is going to have to make sure there’s an awful lot of mirrors wherever Joleen is going to be because she loved to preen herself,” he said.
“She loved to party and loved the odd night away even if it was nine days a week.
“She was a person you wanted to be around because she had a heart of gold and was a great friend to many.
“But humility was her greatest
quality, and she loved to boast about it to anyone who would listen!”
The beautician passed away peacefully in the arms of her mother Carol at the NI Hospice surrounded by her family, including father Joseph, sisters Cherie, Chloe and Christine and brother Jim.
Fr Devlin said their devotion would have been her last memory.
“Her mummy, her sisters, her brothers and all the family gathered around her in love,” he said.
“To ease her, to help her and telling her that they loved her.
“This was the last thing Joleen would have heard and understood.”
Michael O’Connor (32) is on remand awaiting trial for the attempted murder of Ms Corr and grievous bodily harm. He denies the charges.
The Public Prosecution Service is reviewing the attempted murder charge following Ms Corr’s death.
No date has yet been set for his trial.