Two GoFundMe pages have been launched following the death of Irish man Christopher 'Cricky' Roche, 56, in New York this month.
Roche, a native of Kells in Co Meath, died following a road accident on Friday, October 2, in his adopted home of New York. His wife Siobhan was also in the crash and remains hospitalized in serious condition.
Roche "will be deeply missed by his Family, Aunts and uncles, Extended Family and Friends in Ireland, Boston and New York," a notice on RIP.ie says. Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.
A GoFundMe launched in the US says the couple's seven children, aged between 11 and 19, "are facing an unimaginable crisis as they try to process the sudden loss of their father while remaining by their mother’s bedside."
Donations from the US-based page will "help defray funeral and memorial costs, support Siobhan’s ongoing medical bills and extensive recovery, and assist with living expenses for the children’s immediate household, everyday, and longer-term needs."
Meanwhile, a separate GoFundMe page launched in Ireland is "reaching out to the Gaeil Colmcille family, the wider GAA community and friends at home and abroad to support the family of our former member and friend, Christopher 'Crickey' Roche."
The Irish GoFundMe page recalls how Roche, originally from Fr. McCullen Park in Kells, was "a hugely talented footballer and hurler and a proud member of Gaeil Colmcille. He was part of our 1991 Meath Senior Championship-winning team, a group that holds a very special place in the history of our club."
Roche went on to emigrate to the US, where he built his life and was raising his family.
The page says: "As a club, we want to do what we can to support Crickey's wife and their seven children during this devastating time."
"He was one of our own"
On social media, Roche's home club Gaeil Colmcille CLG posted an emotional tribute: "It is with immense sadness and a very heavy heart that we in Gaeil Colmcille learned of the tragic passing of Christopher 'Cricky' Roche, following a road traffic accident in America.
"Cricky was a proud Kells man and a much-loved member of our club. He was a wonderfully talented footballer and hurler and a member of the Gaeil Colmcille team that brought the Meath Senior Championship back to Kells in 1991.
"Those who remember Cricky from his playing days will remember not only his ability on the football field, but also the character, friendship and spirit he brought with him. He was one of our own — a Kells footballer who wore the Gaeil Colmcille jersey with pride and helped create memories that remain part of our club’s history to this day.
"Although life brought Cricky across the Atlantic, Kells and Gaeil Colmcille never stopped being part of who he was. His roots were here, and the memories of his time with us will always remain.
"Our hearts go out to his wife and their seven children, his extended family and all his friends at this devastating time. We can only imagine the heartbreak they are facing, and we hope they will draw some comfort from knowing how highly Cricky was regarded by the people of Kells and by the Gaeil Colmcille family.
"We remember not only the 1991 Championship winner, but the young Kells man, the footballer, the hurler, the friend and the family man who meant so much to so many.
"Cricky, you were one of our own, and you will never be forgotten.
"From everyone at Gaeil Colmcille, we extend our deepest and most heartfelt sympathy to the entire Roche family.
"The club offers its support to the family and will organise a fundraising effort over the coming days.
"Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis."
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