Late 94-year-old Offaly woman lived life to the fullest

The death took place on Monday, June 24, of Mrs. Vera Gavagan, nee Coughlan, from Tinnycross, Tullamore, aged 94 years.  (Vera never liked anybody knowing her age, she used to say, age is unimportant – unless you are a bottle of wine!).

Vera was born in Ballydaly House, Tullamore and was the youngest of the nine Coughlan children, she had five brothers John, Paul, Bernie, Michael and Rody and three sisters May, Madge and Lily. She was the only surviving member of the family when she passed.

After school Vera worked in the D.E. Williams head office in Patrick Street. She married Joe Gavagan, Tinnycross on 21 June 1961, and moved less than two miles to Gavagan’s Cornmill in Tinnycross. She had four children – Pat, Breda, Paul, and Donal.

She loved being outdoors, tending to her large vegetable garden, clipping the hedges, mowing the grass, and painting. She also loved baking apple and rhubarb tarts, gingerbread, fairy cakes and sponge cakes.

She was resilient and a hard worker on the farm, especially when her husband Joe died when the children were just teenagers 42 years ago. Life has tough for a while.

When the children left home, she loved her independence and enjoyed gardening, and baking. She was an avid reader and loved current affairs as well as Ireland’s Own and the Hello magazine.

She was a great singer, and loved a bit of fun and enjoyed a good laugh. Her singing repertoire ranged from “Will Ye Go Lassie Go” from the Clancy Brothers to “Fields of Gold” by Sting.

When she had visitors no one could leave the house without copious cups of tea with biscuits and sandwiches – with crusts cut off for the children.

She was not one for impromptu photos and strongly believed one needed to be prepared: she had to have her clip-on earrings and her lipstick on before smiling. She loved a square of Cadburys milk chocolate every day.

She liked to keep in touch with friends and relatives. Her daughter Breda phoned her nearly every night and visited her once or twice a week. Her son Donal phoned her from the US every Saturday and her son Paul every two weeks from Australia.

She was never one for travelling, even though Paul and Donal had invited her many times over the years to Australia and America.  She was a home bird, only travelling around Ireland for short hotel breaks or visiting Athy to stay with Breda for a week or two, but she was always happier at home.

She lived independently and refused home-help, meals-on-wheels and wouldn’t wear a pendant alarm around her neck or wrist. She was an amazing woman, she tended her Stanley range almost 24/7, cleaned out the ashes every morning and brought in the turf and firewood herself. She would never let anyone do something for her that she could do herself.  She only gave up driving 6 years ago and mowing the lawn 3 years ago.

On the day she fell in her kitchen, sustaining a head injury, she had been out earlier in the front garden clipping back her hydrangeas.

She is the last of the older generation to die from Tinnycross, It is the end of an era.

Vera was a great woman who lived a full and active life, she will be dearly missed by her daughter Breda (Athy), sons Donal (San Diego), Paul (Sydney) and Pat (Tinnycross), son-in-law Mossy Fennelly, daughters-in-law, Monica, Bernadette and Karen and her eight grandchildren Anna Sofia, Liam, Emer, Rory, Tara, Laura, Ciara and Jodie.

May she rest in peace.

Vera’s Months Mind Mass is on Sunday 28^th July at 11.30am in Durrow Church.