Tributes paid to Beragh man dedicated to his family and community

A FOUNDER member of the Credit Union in Beragh who went on to play a pivotal role in the movement’s development both locally and throughout West Tyrone has died at the age of 82.

Seamus Rodgers, from Main Street in the village, was a farmer by trade.

In addition to his work with the Credit Union, he was also a former member of the Civil Rights Association in the 1960s and early 1970s, a keen
genealogist and a font of knowledge in terms of local and national history and the heritage and development of townlands.

At the time of his sudden and unexpected death, he was the current chair of the Credit Union in Beragh.

Over the past 50 years he had served several terms in the position, as well as being chair of Chapter 17, covering West Tyrone and Fermanagh.

Members and officials of the Credit Union flanked the cortege as it journeyed from his home to the Church of the Immaculate Conception for his Funeral Mass on Sunday.

In a tribute, the Credit Union in Beragh said that it shared the news of the death of Mr Rodgers with ‘great sadness and heavy hearts’. They said he had dedicated decades of his life to serving the community with integrity, kindness and unwavering commitment.

“Seamus was more than a leader, he was a mentor, a friend and a pillar of our organisation,” they added.

“His vision and dedication helped shape the Credit Union into its trusted institution today, ensuring that local families and businesses had access to financial support and community-driven banking.

“His wisdom, generosity and warm spirit touched the lives of so many, both within our Credit Union family and beyond.”

Born in 1942, Mr Rodgers attended Beragh National School and then Omagh CBS. He graduated from Greenmount Agriculture College in 1960, before working for a time as a grocer in Omagh and then as a trolley-bus driver in Belfast.

He returned to his native village in 1967 to work on the family farm and dedicated his life to the land. Even on the day of his death, he had been working, carrying on a tradition stretching back generations.

He had an immense interest in, and knowledge of, history. Over the years many with roots locally called to him for information on their families.

He researched family histories, townland names and local history. Each week he was part of an online history gathering of people from across the North and beyond. His contributions to this were always widely acknowledged.

In addition, in recent years he had also begun to learn Irish and was a regular attender at weekly classes in Omagh, where he enjoyed meeting and conversing with others with a similar love of the native tongue.

In 1977, he married Kathleen (née Brogan) from the townland of Glenmacoffer in Gortin.

The couple had five children – Nuala, Matthew, James, Arthur and Maire – and enjoyed 48 years of a happy and devoted marriage in the village of Beragh.

In his homily, Fr Peter McCarville, said that Mr Rodgers had enjoyed a ‘multi-faceted’ life during which he had accomplished so much.

“He had a lifelong devotion to working on the family farm with his brother Kevin. Having put his hand to the plough, Seamus never looked back,” he said.

“He attended Mass here on St Patrick’s Day and just two weeks ago he had the joy of seeing his granddaughter perform at the SSE Arena in Belfast.”

Mr Rodgers is survived by his wife, five children, son-in-law Michael, daughter-in-law Megan and grandchildren Donal, Orla, Mairead, James and Evelyn.

He was pre-deceased by his brother, Frank and is survived by his siblings, Breege, Kevin, Kathleen, Mary and Peter.