THE grieving wife of the 45-year-old man who died on his farm on Monday this week says she has lost her partner “in work and in life”.
Lisnaskea man, Gerry Collins was killed in a farming accident on the Moughley Road, Lisnaskea.
Just a day later, his youngest child, Méabh, marked her 10th birthday.
Describing her daughter as “very mature for her age”, Claire Collins (nee Carragher) said the family had shared a cake together for Méabh on Tuesday, determined that her birthday should not go unnoticed, despite their immeasurable loss.
“Méabh is very strong,” said Mrs. Collins.
“She says she wants to be positive and she is spreading positive thinking to all of us at the moment.”
Mr. and Mrs. Collins worked together on their farm, milking their dairy Jersey herd and looking after their hens.
In a moving tribute to her husband, she said the two of them “worked like clockwork on the farm together every day”.
“We just had a system going and it worked.
“I knew from the minute and hour I met him that we were going to get married and be together always.
“I knew in a split second, and he did too.
“We were right for each other, there was no mistake.
“He has always been my best friend.”
Mr. Collins bought in Jersey cows from Denmark in 2005 and together he and Mrs. Collins have been milking the herd on their farm ever since.
“He was always very interested in renewable energy,” said Mrs. Collins, “We have a turbine on the farm and solar panels.
“We have four hen houses and we work for Moy Park.”
She said her husband was “considerate and thoughtful”, ensuring that he was always the one family would turn to for advice and help.
“We always looked to him,” she said.
“He always had a way of putting things, a way to describe things and he would always come at problems from a different angle and put everything into perspective.
“He had a real sense of humour and was always fun to be around and full of jokes.
“He enjoyed all his friends and his neighbours and he was always there to help.”

According to his wife, Mr. Collins was a well-respected farmer who took his work “very seriously”.
“He wanted to do his very best and carried out everything to the highest standard,” she said, “If Moy Park asked anything of him, he would do it and then some.
“He was extremely particular and extremely conscientious - full of work - and he never left anything to chance.
“He was very diligent and cared so much for his animals and loved nature.”
Mrs. Collins said she and her husband were making great plans together.
“We were incredibly close - we worked together all the time and we wanted to travel - we had planned to do that.
“We also had a summer holiday to France planned this July.
“He was so looking forward to a break away with the family.”
She recalled a recent family trip to Phoenix Park to see Ed Sheeran.
“That was an amazing day,” she said, “He wouldn’t have been a big fan or anything, he just wanted to bring the kids and enjoy it with them.”
Police attended the scene at Moughley Road on Monday. 
The Health and Safety Executive has been informed.
He is survived by his wife, Claire; children Ryan, Sinead, Darragh and Méabh; parents Liam and Verena and siblings Catherine (Monaghan), Ollie, Joan (McGrath) and Richard.