Visionary dies in car crash hours after his wife gives birth

www.elara.ie
By Cormac Murphy


Thursday March 04 2010

A DUBLIN chef who predicted Our Lady would appear at Knock has died in a road crash, just hours after his wife gave birth.

Self-proclaimed visionary Keith Henderson (34) was killed when his car struck a pole in the village of Tarmonbarry, Co Roscommon.

The accident happened on the Longford to Strokestown road at 2.45am. Mr Henderson was pronounced dead at the scene.

His wife, Sharon, had given birth to their first child in Mullingar Hospital on Tuesday just hours before the tragedy.

Mrs Henderson insisted on leaving her hospital bed to identify the body of her husband after her father, Ronald, broke the news to his daughter.

Mr Henderson was alone in his Toyota car and the exact cause of the crash is not known.

Mr Henderson and his wife had moved from Dublin to Tarmonbarry a little over a year ago and Mr Henderson worked as a chef.

Parish priest Fr Eamon O'Connor described the accident as "a terrible tragedy".

He said Mr Henderson had been "very much looking forward to the birth of their baby".

Everyone was "shocked"at the his death, he added.

Thousands of people gathered at Knock last year when Mr Henderson and Ballyfermot man Joe Coleman, a spiritual healer, delivered "visionary messages" from Our Lady.

Worshippers travelled from across the country to pray alongside them. An estimated 10,000 people gathered at the Co Mayo shrine in the hope of witnessing a new apparition.



However, the Archbishop of Tuam, Dr Michael Neary, had said claims by the two men were "not healthy, did not give glory to God and it was not good witness to the faith to be looking for what he called extraordinary phenomena".

Keith worked as a chef at Gleeson's Townhouse and Restaurant in Roscommon.

Gardai have appealed to any witnesses to contact Boyle station at 071 9664620 or the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666111.

comurphy@herald.ie

Very sad especially as his wife had just had a baby. Sadder still that he didnt have a "visionary message" for his own death beforehand