Colin Murphy
                                      
The future belongs to those who know how to wait.  At Christmas we wait for birth, for love, for life itself to reveal its meaning and purpose. As Christians we must wait with hope and love for Christ who comes to us. As people of hope we believe in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Today we feel the sadness of death. It seems death is totally out of place in this season of birth. We have come to share your sorrow.
Colin’s period of waiting is now over. He departed this life on Monday morning. There is nothing in the world like death. When we observe the change of the seasons and how nature dies, we say death is natural. Death is totally strange. In one moment a beloved voice, familiar gestures and individual presence stop. The most haunted moment during grief is when you realize that you will never see that person again; it lets no one return. But our Christian faith offers us something entirely different.                                  
The number of years we live is not the measure of our greatness or holiness or wisdom. But who knows the mind of God? So today we want to give thanks and to celebrate Colin’s life. We cherish his memory. Our sure hope is that the Lord Our God will welcome him home and that one day we will be united in heaven. In the depth of our loss we will pray and give thanks to God for Colin. May all his goodness and kindness gather around him to bring him safely home. May his gentle soul rest in peace!
The death of Colin is an opportunity to express thanks to God for a life of generosity and dedication, for service to his loving family. His variety of talents and temperaments hints at the richer joys of the kingdom of heaven. We are pilgrims on a journey, wayfarers, looking ahead. The marvelous variety of people accompanying us on our pilgrimage through life offers insights into the nature of God, creator of all, Father of love and mercy. Colin gave us such a glimpse. We all belong to the Lord through Baptism. He is our origin, our goal, our destiny.
Colin was born 69 years ago and raised by his grandparents in Drumhorc. He was educated in Laurencetown and served his apprenticeship with Charlie Monaghan as a bricklayer. At this stage he got the travel bug and worked in the Falkland Islands where he built houses and the local radio station. After three years he came home and married Gemma Cullen and they set up home in West Street, Portadown. For the next thirteen years he travelled for work to Waterford, Kilkenny, Cork and Kerry. He developed a great interest in hurling and even built the family home of the great Kilkenny hurler Henry Shafflin. Then after Gemma’s passing he left for London for work in 1988 and lived there until he returned home to his roots with Sue in 2004.
                              He lived a good life as a respected and honest worker as a master bricklayer. He loved his work and worked hard for he had a particular work ethic where everything had to be just perfect.
                                  Above all we are remembering a good man with a wide circle of friends. Today as we gather in sorrow to remember Colin, a burden of pain, a burden of loss, a burden of grief weighs heavily on you all. We gather as a community - our presence here today is our way of reaching out to those whose burden is heaviest and whose loss is greatest.
                                    Today we shed tears for Colin but our tears have a healing effect. Today we no longer cling on but let him go to be with the Lord forever.
                                     As with the life of Our Lord there will always be the feeling that there was so much more Colin could have done, so much more that life had to offer him, so much more that he would have liked to do, if only circumstances had been kinder. It was not to be.
                                     But if we are sad today, there is also much to be thankful for. We are grateful for the life he did have, grateful for all the joy he brought into your lives. For you his loving family there’s the comfort of knowing that you were able to show Colin how much you all loved him and appreciated him.
                                    It is only to God we can turn at this time to try to find some meaning, some consolation; some hope in the situation we find ourselves in. Prayer will bring us through this time. It’s not going to be easy. Nobody said so. But with God’s help, you will meet this cross. He will be sadly missed.

Eternal rest ….

From his brother Kieran

After 50 years, I suddenly found I had a brother. We met one another and it was one of the best things that happened to me. We have not had a lot of time together but I cherish what time we had. I will miss C olin very much.