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Celebrant Very Reverend Gerald Powell P.P.
We gather here today in Laurencetown with Sam and the family circle. Our thoughts and our sympathies are for you. We ask God to send his Consoler to bring his peace to your hearts and to your homes. We give thanks to God for the life that he gave Susie and to pray in faith that he will welcome her to everlasting happiness in heaven.
There is as the Scriptures remind us, a time for every season under heaven. As we gather here we reflect on the mystery of time and providence that are in God’s hands: there is indeed a time to die, a time to weep, a time to mourn, a time to keep silence, a time to speak, a time to love. You have shared memories of who she was and what she meant to you. We mourn her passing, we cherish her memory.
When we remember her now we above all you have remembered the humanity of a good person. Today as we gather in sorrow to remember Susie, 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 you.
Susie was born on 2nd February 1925 in Seapatrick, the daughter of Matthew and Susan Brown and sister of Maggie, Rosie, Hugh and William.
She attended Dromore Street Primary School and left there in 1939 to work in Hayes Hill, Seapatrick. She remained there until it closed and then took up employment in Brookfield Factory, Banbridge until she retired.
Susie married Samuel Beck in 1958 and then had one son, Samuel.
They lived in Banbridge from their marriage and in 1978, after the death of her husband, Susie came to live in Churchview Close, Laurencetown.
She was loved by everyone in Laurencetown. Her smile was infectious and she had a word for everyone as she travelled along with the aid of her rollator, or as she called it - ‘the bike’!
The Community centre was her favourite place to be, where she could join in the craic and the company. No matter what event was on, Susie was there.
Her hobbies included knitting, dancing, TV and music. Colombo was a great favourite on TV and, of course, where music was concerned, she liked Hugo Duncan but of course the favourite had to be Daniel O’Donnell. Unfortunately, Susie didn’t get to see her idol until later years when she was a resident of Spelga Mews and her memory had begun to fail. She went to see him in the Armagh City Hotel and Daniel came to greet her. ‘Are you alright Susie?’ he asked, to which she replied ‘If I was right, I wouldn’t’ be here!’
Susie loved to look well – the hair always had to be ‘just right’ and her niece Catherine always permed it for her.
It was six years ago that dementia finally took its toll on Susie. Even though the local residents always watched out for her, she could no longer remain in her own home. Her first care home was Spelga Mews and it was in Bannview Care Home where she finally passed away in the early hours of Thursday morning.
God knows the reality of deep pain – the pain Susie endured throughout her time of illness. We remember a lovely person, a lady who was a treasure to you all. Letting go of her today is not going to be easy, for Susie was a lover of people and life itself. Thank you to all who cared for her and loved her in life especially in her final days at Bannview. Now her suffering is over. We pray that she is with the Lord and we look forward to the day when we will be reunited with her. Christ’s resurrection assures us that if we follow him we will rise again. May her noble soul be at God’s right hand. Eternal rest…
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