Samantha Willis: Funeral of woman who died with Covid-19 after giving birth

The funeral of Samantha Willis took place at St Columbs Church in Derry

The funeral of Samantha Willis, who died with Covid-19 after giving birth to her fourth child, has taken place in Londonderry.

During the service at St Columb's Church, her daughter Evie Grace, born two weeks ago, was also baptised.

The funeral was conducted by Fr Joe Clifford, the uncle of Samantha's husband Josh.

He told mourners he was struggling to make sense of conducting a funeral and baptism in the same service.

"I've never done a baptism at a funeral, but it speaks to us of the two bookends of life," he said.

"A funeral's for the end and the baptism's for the beginning, somehow contextualising every single thing in between.

"And maybe waking us up to how fragile life is.

"It doesn't all make sense, I can't make sense of it."

Samantha Willis was buried at Ballyoan Cemetery

Fr Clifford said Samantha had "burst forth new life, just days ago".

"Here comes new life into the world, and it came out of a suffering body," he said.

"A body that was actually on life support."

The mother-of-four died in intensive care in Altnagelvin Hospital on Friday, after spending 16 days in hospital with Covid-19.

After her death, her husband Josh Willis wrote on Facebook that what he wanted to "make Samantha proud" and said she was "a wonderful, loving and caring person and she has been our super hero the last few weeks".

He and Mrs Willis had married at the church where the service took place two years earlier.