THE funeral of a young man who died in Belfast City Centre after a collision involving a bus will take place on February 13.
Samuel McAuley (26), from Belfast, died at Donegall Square West on Saturday shortly before 7.40pm.
A family notice said he was the much loved father of Aria and Jacob, son to the late Samuel and Eileen and would be fondly remembered by his wider family and friends.
The funeral will be held on Monday, February 13, at 9.30am in James Brown & Sons Funeral Home on the Newtownards Road followed by a commital to Roselawn Crematorium.
Family flowers only have been requested with any donations in lieu to be paid directly to Alzheimer's NI.
Several community organisations Mr McAuley had engaged with described him as a thoughtful young man.
Compassion Belfast said it was devastated to hear of his death, and said he had been a regular Wednesday attendee at the Tool Box project where he enjoyed a range of woodwork projects.
“Everyone loved Sammy, he had a beautiful warmth of character, was a great one for a good yarn, was very funny – always polite and courteous,” the group said on Facebook.
“He wore his heart on his sleeve and his openness and honesty about his life experiences were an inspiration to all of us at The Tool Box who shared a work bench with him. The room just won’t be the same without him.
“Compassion Belfast wish to express our sincerest sympathies to all Sammy’s family and friends, we share your sense of grief and tragic loss at this very sad time.”
The Wave Trauma Centre said participants in Towards Inclusion met Mr McAuley at the opening of Patricia Downey's new play Yellow Pack on Thursday night.
In a statement, a spokesperson said: “He was a delightful young man, kind and welcoming, and he looked after our guys very well.
“This is an incredible loss of someone so young.”
New Life City Church Belfast said Mr McAuley had attended their all-night drop in on Friday, where he had also been a regular attender.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this very sad and difficult time.”
The PSNI has called on anyone who witnessed the collision, or may have dashcam or mobile phone footage, to assist offivers with their inquries, to contact the collision investigation unit on 101, quoting reference 1551 for January 28.
