Tributes were paid this week to Brendan Lilley, who was described by family as a “man of the people” and a “great supporter of his community”. The well-known Enniskillen businessman passed away last week with his funeral Mass held on Tuesday at St Michael’s Church Enniskillen.

Speaking yesterday (Wednesday) his son, Gerry, said that the whole family were grateful for the kindness shown to them during this difficult time: “The wake house never cooled at all. There were so many people calling and everyone had good things to say about dad and it shows how highly he was thought of.”

Brendan was predeceased by his wife Agnes in 2006. He developed Parkinson’s in 2008 before being diagnosed with dementia and while Gerry explained that there was great sadness with his father’s passing he also said that there was an end to his suffering: “It is sad of course and everyone will miss him but at the same time it is a happy release for him and his suffering is over. I think people will know that when our mother died a part of him died too because they were that close.”

Brendan’s daughter Nuala spoke of the valuable lessons that their father taught the family over the course of his life and explained that he saved the most valuable lesson for last: “Dad was a father of good lessons. He led from the front and taught by example. However, and perhaps unbeknownst to him, he saved some of his most valuable lessons for his journey through Parkinson’s and dementia. Bit by bit, our dad was asked to let go. First of his independence, then of his mobility, and finally of his memory. He had to trust that those he had loved during his life would be there to support him on this journey. Through his illness dad taught us the importance of giving back to those who have given us so much, and of treating our elderly with care, respect and dignity. Most of all, he taught us that in this fast and busy life that we’ve created for ourselves, sometimes the greatest gift we can give is simply our time.”

Brendan’s business, Fuels and Lubricants was synonymous with Enniskillen and indeed Fermanagh and Gerry explained that his father had started it all from humble beginnings: “He began in 1964 with a pickup and a barrel of oil in the back of it. He used to drive around and collect empty barrels from farmers and replace the oil for them.”

And as Brendan made his way in the business world, he was somebody who always kept his community close to his heart and was generous with his support: “I think he was known to be a fair businessman and a man of compassion. He always wanted to support the local community. It didn’t matter if it was Gaelic or soccer or if it was a community group. You could say he was a man of the people,” Gerry explained.

Two other important facets of Brendan’s life were faith and family with his daughter Nuala explaining: “Our dad lived an ordinary life in an extraordinary way. Dad was, at his core, spiritual and this directed how he lived his life. In good health he attended daily Mass as often as he could. At his heart dad was a family man. Many of his happiest times were spent sitting at the head of our kitchen table, chatting and laughing with his family and friends. He had a great sense of humour and a very quick wit. Ours was a safe, happy and, of course, warm home, in every sense of the word! Our backdoor remained wide open to everyone, our parent’s friends, our friends, our good neighbours and, of course, to our extended family.”

Brendan is survived by his son Gerry, daughters Teena, Nuala, Aideen, Sinead, Una and Pauline and his brother Aidan. His burial took place at Cross Cemetery after his funeral Mass with family flowers and donations gratefully received in lieu to Parkinson’s Support Fermanagh

The funeral arrangements were carried out by Peter Carty Funeral Director.