He was born in Roscommon and grew up on a farm near Ballinamore, Co Leitrim.

    He had a varied career, initially with the Wiltshire Constabulary from 1938. He then served in the Navy during the War and took part in the D Day Landings serving on one of the Headquarters Ships, which took heavy fire.

    Following his marriage to a Fermanagh girl, Isobel (Margery) Sheridan, and the birth of their first son, John, he moved to Fermanagh in 1947, where he became one of the first Welfare Officers in the newly formed Welfare State.

    He was employed by the then Fermanagh Welfare Committee as Divisional Welfare Officer, and along with Hubert Brown, County Welfare Officer, and Bertie Hurst, his counterpart Divisional Welfare Officer, organised and delivered Social Services in the County. He was involved in supervising foster children and children placed for adoption, the home help service and services for disabled people.

    His work went far beyond the call of duty, and he formed friendships with clients and colleagues which endured long after he left Fermanagh.

    He showed a high level of compassion and sensitivity and became a role model to staff who later joined the service. He will be remembered widely with respect and affection.

    The local government reorganisation in 1973 marked the end of his service of 26 years in Fermanagh. He then moved to Liverpool to run the Cathedral's Charitable Organisations and Facilities, which he continued until his retirement in May 1983. His first wife, Isobel, died just one year after they moved to Liverpool and shortly before his retirement he met and married Elizabeth Hughes, a retired College Vice-Principal from N Wales.

    They retired to Herefordshire in 1983 living in a lovely scenic country area. He enjoyed a long and active retirement, gardening and playing bridge.

    He was a member of the D Day Landing Association and SAFA, and he returned many times to Ireland to visit family and friends in Fermanagh and surrounding counties.