A son, who I'm assuming wasn't used to public speaking stood in front of a big crowd in church at one of the most emotionally difficult movements in his life and he told us about his mam.
We never got to meet Marks mum, and sadly that won't happen now because she passed away last week.
We know from Mark how kind and caring she was by the way that he always spoke about her and how well he has been raised, such a prefect son-in-law to be. He and my daughter Ellen are engaged, a wedding sometime in the future that I know would have meant the world to his mum.
While we had an impression of Mark's mum, it sadly took her funeral for us to get to know her better.
At the funeral mass and gathering afterwards we heard about this very special woman from friends, family and even the parish priest who used to visit her on one Friday every month.
For me the moment we really learnt the most about Mark's mum was when his younger brother John stood at the altar and gave the eulogy, a very touching tribute to her that had us all in tears.
He started by reading from his notes, thanking friends and family for attending the funeral, thanking the funeral home staff and the hospital staff who had looked after her.
He put his notes down and then spoke from the heart telling us about his mam, and in between the tears he told us about the woman with the bright side of life temperament, the one who was the peacemaker in the family, the one who loved fun nights and karaoke, she used talk loudly on the phone to her friends for hours on end and she was the woman who despite being unwell always looked after them, no matter what was going on. "That was my mam" he said.
We got to know her just a little that day and I said to her husband John that it was his job to tell us so much more about her.
Ann Magee, you did a great job as a mum and as a wife and as a person and we thank you for the gift of our future son-in-law, Mark who is a treasure of a boy, a fine young man. You will be missed, but you will live on inside those lucky enough to have met you..
Rest in Peace..
Greg
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