Helping Mary Jane Cathcart, centre, celebrate her 104th birthday earlier this year were, from left, Emily Carson (daughter), Annie Millar (daughter) and Tommy Cathcart (son). Kneeling at the front are Mary Jane’s grandchildren Dylan and Alice Seaney RMG90
FERMANAGH’s oldest person has died at the age of 104.
Mary Jane (Jane) Cathcart, who would have been 105 on January 23, 2016, passed away peacefully at the Drumclay Nursing Home on Monday, where she had been a resident for the past six years.
A native of Meenagleeragh, Donagh, Garrison Jane married the late James in 1935 and after settling at Scandally, Derrygonnelly, moved to a farm at Tullycreevy, Monea. Before taking up residence in Drumclay she had moved to a bungalow home at Cloverhill, Springfield.
Jane was a valued resident of Drumclay nursing home and the mother to Annie, Tommy, Emily and the late Alice. Jane was also a much-loved mother-in-law, grandmother of17, great-grandmother of 30 and great-great grandmother to two children.
Speaking this week son Tommy explained that while his mother’s death was unexpected, he admitted she had been “slowly fading away”. He paid an emotional tribute to his mother.
“She was always there for me, through thick and thin. No matter what you go through the mother is there and the father is there.
“She was some woman, I’ll tell you that. She drove her own car to church until she was 92, until cataracts took over her eyes and wouldn’t allow her to drive.”
He continued: She was quite independent and had a mind of her own, which in the world she grew up in was no bad thing.”
Tommy had visited his mother on Sunday and while he admitted she was “very tired” she did eat her porridge, have lunch and spoke to him for a couple of minutes.
“I didn’t think her any different. She’s been going down quite a bit this last while, her wee legs were like pencils, she was just slowly fading away.”
On Monday while in town Tommy received a phone call that his mother’s condition had deteriorated and just after 2pm he made his way up to the nursing home.
“I just knew when I turned the corner down to her wee room 44, I knew right away. The two nurses came out of their station arms out, came up to me straight after each other and gave me a hug. ‘I know, she’s gone’ I said. She went on them too. My mum’s bedroom’s only three doors from the nursing station, but she just passed away in her sleep.”
Although he admits the loss of his mother is “heart-breaking” Tommy said he can have no complaints.
“I’ve a lot of tears, it’s heart-breaking, but I have to be so happy as well. It was so peaceful, the way she would have wanted to go. Look at how many young people die roaring with pain. I can’t complain one ounce, I’ve been there all the time for her, as she has been there for me and I’ve never had words with her in my life, we never fell out in her lifetime and that’s a long, long time.”
The funeral service for Mary Jane Cathcart was held on Wednesday at Devenish Parish Church, Monea at 2pm followed by burial in the adjoining Churchyard.
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