THE death has occurred of Mary Neill (formerly Wilson) of Roscolban Court in Kesh, Co. Fermanagh.

She was born in 1926 at Killagan Railway Station, Co. Antrim, where her father Herbie, from Draperstown, was stationmaster. In 1928 the growing family moved to Maghera station in Co. Londonderry. Mary was the second of four children – a sister to Margaret, Sheila and Herbie.

Maghera was home to a happy and extended household. During the war this included a young evacuee from Belfast called Ronnie Cleghorn. As Ronnie Carroll, he became a successful pop singer with two Top Ten hits. He represented Britain in the Eurovision Song Contests in 1962 and 1963.

Mary left Maghera Public Elementary School in 1940 and joined the staff of HJ Crawford’s general draper and outfitters in the town. She was quite shaken, when knocked off her vantage point on a box, as the gun barrel of a US Army tank crashed through the window of the shop in 1944. In 1947 she left the town for a job at England’s wool shop on Belfast’s Newtownards Road and later worked at John Robb’s department store in Castle Place and WH Dunlop’s wholesale drapers in Franklin Street.

She met David Neill, from the mill village of Upperlands, before the war. During the early 50s the couple met regularly at weekends as they made their way home from Belfast on the bus. A romance was born that lasted over 50 years. They married in 1955 and settled in Newtownabbey. A son Maurice was born in 1959 and daughter Hazel in 1960. Mary resumed her career after 15 years as a home-maker joining the staff at the Presbyterian Church’s Castle Rocklands residential home in Carrickfergus in 1974 becoming deputy matron. Later she joined Anderson McAuley, as temporary Christmas staff, but stayed for more than 10 years.

Mary and David moved to Kesh in 1989 when David retired. Mary enjoyed a crossword every day, listened to music, knitted children’s clothes and created a garden full of flowers, fruit and vegetables. She loved to hear from her extended family and kept in touch with nephews and nieces and their children in Ireland and the USA. She made many friends in Kesh, enjoyed the Evergreens Senior Citizens Club away-days, Friends in the Afternoon events and contributed to Memories - a book on local history. She campaigned to save the historic local primary school building from demolition.

She died peacefully at her daughter’s home in Killadeas, on September 7, after a short illness. This was made possible by the professional care and valuable support provided by the district nursing team, hospice team, rapid response team and Marie Curie nurses.

She is survived by son Maurice, daughter Hazel, grandsons Peter and Neill and sister Margaret.