Mr John Molloy, Swellan Lower, Cavan

There was widespread regret at the death of Mr John Molloy, Swellan Lower, Cavan, at Cavan General Hospital on Wednesday of last week. Aged 68 his death came after a long illness bravely borne. John had a varied life and one which served the local community in many aspects. After he left school he joined the Inland Fisheries and later became a caretaker at Cavan Vocational school along with Tommy Molloy and Mickey Walsh. He joined the Irish Army at the age of 18 and was based in Bailieborough for three years. In fact he had two spells in the army and served six months with the Irish United Nations contingent in the Congo. On leaving the army he became a sacristan in Cavan Cathedral, a position in which his late father Paddy had served for many years along with the late Tom Fleming. In 1975 tragedy struck the Molloy family when he lost his mother, Elizabeth, brother-in-law Jimmy and his nephew Brian in a traffic accident. His sister, Betty, survived but was totally incapacitated and spent the next 16 years in care before she died in November 1990 at the age of 41. While such a tragedy would have been devastating for any family, John worked hard to bind the family closer together but found himself the centre of a serious illness in 2001 during which he lost both legs and was forced to readjust his life. However this further setback didn't deter his willingness to live as normal a life as possible and he quickly learned to drive in an adaptable car. While his social life might have been impaired he endeavoured to deal with the situation and got on with his life. He is survived by his wife, Dympna, sons, Paul, Jonathan, Anthony and Neil; daughters, Amanda and Mrs Marie Monteath, Edinburgh, his brother, Paddy and sister, Mrs Mary Esposito, New York. The funeral took place on Friday last from the Cathedral to Killygarry cemetery. The coffin was draped in the tricolour and a detachment from the Irish Army provided a Guard of Honour.