Tributes paid to ‘man of great faith’ Eugene McElduff

TRIBUTES flowed from the altar of St May’s Church at Melmount yesterday (Wednesday) at the funeral mass for popular Strabane resident and former pharmacist, Eugene McElduff.

Mr McElduff, originally from Dunamore outside Cookstown, was a stalwart of the Strabane community for many years, having helped the local community with their aches and pains as the chemist in Ballycolman.

Celebrant Fr Michael Doherty spoke in glowing terms of Mr McElduff, from detailing his upbringing as the eldest of ten children in a one-and-a-half bedroom house in Dunamore, to attending St Patrick’s Academy in Dungannon and his pharmacy career which began in Carrickmore and continued in Kennedy’s in Strabane. It was here that Mr McElduff met the love of his life in Veva, from Sion Mills, and they remained together for 57 years. Following a stint in Belfast, the couple settled back in Strabane where Eugene opened his pharmacy in Ballycolman.

Fr Doherty praised Mr McElduff’’s dedication to the people, saying, “For decades, Eugene served the community faithfully and he thought nothing of coming from his house opening or staying open when other pharmacies closed, to help whoever needed it at that time.”

FR Doherty continued, “Eugene was always a great supporter of the GAA and was heavily involved in the local Sigersons club when they reformed. Such was Eugene’s passion for both his hometown club of Kildress and his adopted club of Sigersons, it was said that when the two played each other, Eugene would always celebrate a point, no matter which side scored it! In his later years he could be found at the Melmount Centre enjoying a game of indoor bowls.

“He was a man of great faith and a devoted father to his children Dian, Michael and Eugene and husband to Veva; his death is a massive loss to all who knew him.”

Sigersons also took time to acknowledge Mr McElduff’s contribution to the club, describing him as ‘a great Gael’ and a ‘passionate Tyrone supporter’.

Following the mass at St Mary’s Church, Eugene McElduff was interred in the adjoining cemetery.