A HIGHLY-respected former teacher of Lisnaskea High School who was known for her "great sense of humour" and outgoing personality has sadly passed away following a battle with cancer.

Cathy Gibson (63) died peacefully on Saturday, September 12, surrounded by her family at her beloved home, Cherry Island, in Enniskillen.

"Cathy liked people. She liked meeting people and she liked talking to people," said Robert Gibson, noting how his late wife was a very outgoing and sociable person who had many friends.

This was evident by the number of people who lined the roads to bid farewell to the much-loved former teacher as her funeral cortege passed by on Monday afternoon (September 14).

Cathy was the eldest of four children. During her childhood she lived at Cooper Crescent, Enniskillen, beside the then Enniskillen Collegiate Grammar School.

“Her mother had great difficulty keeping her in the garden because she always wanted to go to the Collegiate school to see what was going on," said Robert.

“They actually took her in the prep school earlier than most other children, because she was so eager to go,” he laughed.

Following her education at the Collegiate, Cathy went on to study PE and English in Liverpool before returning to her home county to take up a teaching role at the then Lisnaskea High School, where she remained for the rest of her teaching career.

Robert added: "She loved teaching and she loved children. She knew all of the children at Lisnaskea High School at any time by name because it was such a small school."

As Cathy was only 21 when she started teaching at the school, she happened to teach three generations of the one family in multiple instances during her time there.

"The odd time, we would meet people in the street and they would come over and say hello, and it would be the grandmother, the mother and the daughter. It was a very happy thing for her," said Robert.

Happily married for 38 years, Robert and Cathy first met on Rossnowlagh beach - a place that was very dear to her.

"When she was a child, Cathy's family went to a mobile home at Rossnowlagh. One thing she wanted for her children - and it was almost a deal to get her to marry me - was that we would have a caravan at Rossnowlagh, because she loved all the things she could do there," shared Robert.

He added that their children have fond memories of learning to swim and surf at Rossnowlagh beach, and how they recall spending hours with their mum gathering cowrie shells by the shore.

Cathy was a loving mother to four children: Kelly, Laura, Lyndsey and Rory, and a devoted grandmother to Isaac and Kate.

Robert said Cathy "was a very proud grandmother; she loved her grandchildren tremendously and took a great interest".

A keen sportswoman throughout her life, Cathy enjoyed taking part in various sporting activities.

"She played hockey and was captain of Enniskillen Hockey Club Ladies 2nds at one time. When she was younger she sailed and crewed for various people.

"She played netball and she taught keep-fit in her early days. She even tried potholing," said Robert, adding: "She was always very interested in all sports. One thing she was very proud of was that she organised the Community Games in Florencecourt."

More recently, she enjoyed walking as part of groups, as well as attending Pilates and Zumba classes.

Speaking about his wife's illness, Robert explained that Cathy was initially diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012. "She was given the all-clear in 2018."

In July, Cathy felt ill, and was taken into the South West Acute Hospital. "Unfortunately, they discovered that she had secondary cancer in her liver and her spine," explained Robert, sharing that Cathy was given this diagnosis the day before her 63rd birthday.

"The care she got in the South West Acute Hospital was fantastic; the staff and their treatment of her was second-to-none," said Robert, adding that following the devastating news that her cancer was terminal, Cathy was determined to return home to be with her loved ones.

"She came home knowing that the end was close, but she wanted to be here, and she wanted to be with her family."

Cathy's funeral was arranged by WT Morrison Funeral Directors. The funeral service was held in Mullaghdun Parish Church, followed by burial in the adjoining churchyard.

Noting that although the number of people who could attend Cathy's funeral was limited due to Covid-19 regulations, Robert said that he and his family were "honoured and humbled" that so many people took time to stand out and show their support.

"We are delighted that she had so many friends. Even though we couldn’t have a large funeral now, at the moment they were good enough to stand out," he told this newspaper.

The family would like to thank all of those who took such great care of Cathy both in hospital and at home, those who have donated or sent flowers, and those who have provided support and comfort to the family during this time.