Family members of Brenda McKeown say the entire Shankill community is in mourning following the passing of the much loved grandmother
Tributes have been paid to a loving grandmother and sister from the Shankill area who has now been “reunited with her sons”.
Brenda McKeown, 59, of Northland Street, passed away suddenly on November 17, bringing much sadness to her family, friends and everyone who knew her.
A mother of three who has been through some very difficult times, she had lost all three of her sons, Gary, Johnathon and Curtis, in the past seven years, with her family saying they have never seen a woman with such strength and character and don’t know how she had coped with the grief.
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Speaking to Belfast Live, her sister Frankie said that Brenda had prepared Christmas presents for her beloved grandson Jay, along with her nieces and nephews, prior to her passing.
She said: “The whole Shankill has been in mourning following Brenda’s death, she was such a popular person who was bursting with kindness and compassion. She would have given you the shoes off of her feet if she thought it would help someone.
“Despite all of the pain she had been through with the deaths of her sons she was always there to help others and put a smile on someone’s face. Since her passing, we have received so many messages with different stories about Brenda and every one of them have had us laughing and show what a brilliant woman she was.
“When we found her, she had all of the Christmas presents ready and prepared for her grandson Jay, and her nieces and nephews, which shows how she was thinking of others right up until the end.
“I have no idea how she managed to cope all these years, which just shows you the strength that she had. I just hope that she has now found the peace that she deserves and know that she is now reunited with her three sons who she adored so much.”
Following her death there has been an outpouring of grief on social media with many people sending their thoughts and prayers to the McKeown family at this difficult time.
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