Funeral of Vivian Hamill

Today is a day of sadness for the Hamill and Moore family.

We are sad today because we are here to mourn Vivian and say our final farewells to him as his passing leaves a big gap in his family. So naturally you are grieving at your loss. We are here to support you in your loss. We are here to support you in your sadness by our presence, our prayers and our words of consolation.

God’s best gifts to us are good people. Vivian was a gift to you and a blessing to all who loved him. So it is right and fitting that we should give thanks to God for this rich gift, now that Vivian’s earthly life is over. This then is a thanksgiving mass for Vivian, for his virtues and gifts and for all the good he did during his lifetime.

Vivian was born at the ‘Red Row’, Gilford in 1942, the second child of Tommy and Mary Ann Hamill and brother to Jackie (otherwise known as ‘our fella’) and Dessie.

After his education was ‘complete’ at St. John’s Primary School in Gilford, Vivian decided to try his luck with work in Manchester - he stayed two days and returned home! Over the next number of years, he worked on building sites as a ‘hud carrier’ and had the reputation of being one of the best ‘hud carriers’ in the business. Up until his death, he still showed an interest in other ‘hud carriers’ or rather, their expertise or lack of!

Vivian then worked for the Courtaulds group in Exquisite for the next thirty years and even though he loved the outdoors, he adapted quickly to the inside work and grew to love it. He was never a day out of work until ill health forced him to retire.

Vivian married Monica in 1966 and they lived with his parents for a year before moving to their first home together on the Priest’s Hill.
Seven years later, and forty years ago, they moved to 35 Hillside Crescent, Lenaderg.
Moving in next door, on the same day, were their best friends Seamus and Rhona Fegan. Indeed, Seamus Fegan and Vivian Hamill were a very mischievous pair in their younger days.

 Vivian and Monica enjoyed going to the dances in the Castle Ballroom and going on holidays with Seamus and Rhona.
Of course, another very special young lady took up residence in Hillside Crescent on that same day - Denise Fegan, who became a very important part of Vivian’s life - known to Vivian as “Neezie”.

 Vivian loved the banter and the craic with young and old alike. He took a great interest in all his nephews and nieces and was especially close to his brothers, Jackie and Dessie.

 He was known to tell the odd yarn, like the story of Robert Mitchum giving his boots to ‘our fella’ (Jackie).

 His hobbies included fishing, walking in the countryside with the dog before ill health took over. Then he turned to the jigsaws. Happily standing in his ‘office’, (the shed) Vivian worked for days on his jigsaws. He also loved westerns and especially John Wayne.

 In the years before his death, Vivian could have got a job with Bórd Fáilte, because there isn't a road he didn't know, or drive on. As Monica says, his first words every morning weren’t ‘how are you this morning’, but ‘where will we go today?’

He was a very well-wishing man, very slow to judge but quick to correct anyone who did judge.

 Vivian had no interest in money - anything he had, he would willingly have shared it - tomorrow didn’t matter - ‘sure we could be dead tomorrow’ was his favourite saying to Monica.

 But every Monday morning, without fail, he arrived home with a bunch of flowers for Monica - his wife and faithful companion of 47 years.

 We may thank God in a special way for Vivian’s virtues and Christian patterns of action, his strong spirit of welcome and hospitality, jolly personality and full of fun, his sense of dedication to his family and neighbours.

It is right to ask God’s mercy, our loving and forgiving Father to extend to Vivian his forgiveness. We are assured by our faith that God forgives always, totally and immediately.

Our faith tells us that at death life is changed, not ended. We are then filled with hope that Vivian has now arrived at the fullness of life with God in heaven. We are confident in this hope that God has taken him to Himself, given him the rewards of his labours and crowned his earthly pilgrimage with the perfection of eternal life. We live in the hope that, like Christ, he has risen from death to life with God in the fullest union of faith and love. So, despite our sorrow we are hopeful and happy for Vivian that after all his illness he has now entered the joys of heaven.