Jim Campbell

Jim was born in February 1930, the fourth child in a family of 3 girls and 5 boys, to Meredith and Agnes Campbell. His first home was in Chapel Row, Laurencetown before the family moved, firstly, to ‘Red Row’ in Gilford and then the Square in Gilford. .A mischievous child, Jim was always climbing – anything in sight was meant to be climbed and that is how he gained the nickname that was to remain with him for the rest of his life – ‘Spider’!

He attended Gilford Primary school before leaving, as the majority of locals did, to work in Gilford Mill. After a short period, he changed jobs to look after the horses for Rutledge Uprichard in Elmfield Castle. Later he decided to join his brother Patsy in England.

As a young man, Jim spent a lot of his time with his relatives in Kernan, working on their farm. For the majority of his working life, he worked with heavy machinery, (digger driver etc) and was an expert at his job.

Jim married Rose McAvoy in this church on 16^th July 1957 and they set up their first home in Banford. At Christmas time in 1967, they moved to their present home in Barrack Hill. Together they had 7 children, 6 boys and 1 girl: Jim, Damian, Pat, Colm, Liam, Alita and Gabriel.

His faith was very important to him and he had great devotion to Our Lady and St. Therese of Lisieux. Both Jim and Rose were huge supporters of the Carmelite Sisters in Glenvale. Any physical work that needed to be done, Jim was there and he always brought some of the children with him. Nothing was ever too much trouble for him – if he could help them, he did.

He kept a tin beside his bedside for his loose change and when it was filled, he brought to the parish office to be donated to the missions and to Sr. Bernadette Duffy.

He was the gravedigger in this parish for a very long time and he had such respect for this sacred ground. He knew every grave in the cemetery and was always on hand to advise and direct.

He loved traditional music and dancing; he played the mouth organ and was a great story-teller, especially after a pint! He loved his grandchildren and had pet names for every one of them.

Ill health became to take its toll over the last few years and it was just before Christmas that his dementia finally meant hospitalisation. He dearly wanted home to see his beloved dog, Bounce, once more but that wasn’t to be as he quietly passed away on Sunday morning.

So we give thanks to God for his life and it is with confidence that we pray to the same God to give him eternal rest after all his suffering.

Today then we bid farewell to Jim. Despite your sense of loss, you will face the future with courage and hope, knowing that that is what Jim would want you to do. We comfort one another in the sure confidence that for Jim life has changed, not ended. We also derive comfort from the conviction that he is at peace with God after all his suffering.

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 our lives. For you his loving family there’s the comfort of knowing that you were able to show Jim throughout his life how much you all loved him and appreciated him. You knew that time was precious in recent times. All that you could have done for him, you did. There are no regrets.

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.

All of us gathered here today we just want to say how sorry we are for your loss – to Jim's family, wife Rose, daughter Alita, sons, Jim, Damian, Pat, Colm, Liam, and Gabriel. Daughters in law Sharon and Dawn, son in law Matt, grandchildren, great grand-children, and family circle.