101-year-old Rose Loughran left the world ‘a better place’

TRIBUTES have been paid to Rose Loughran, one of Omagh’s oldest residents, who passed away just before Christmas at the age of 101.

Rose, originally from Ardstraw, had celebrated her 100th birthday in style just a year prior, with a series of parties marking the magnificent milestone.

Hundreds of people attended her Requiem Funeral Mass in the Sacred Heart Church in Omagh on Christmas Eve

She will be remembered as a kind and loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, neighbour and friend to the many people she knew so well in Strule Park who fondly named her the ‘Queen of the Gortmore Day Centre’.

In his homily, her nephew, Fr Eamonn Graham, said Rose was born into a very different world than that of today.

“The War of Independence and Civil War had just ended, partition had been introduced and the country was very unstable,” he remarked.

“It was not an easy time to be bringing up a family. Rose was only 12 when her father died in 1935 and she often spoke about how she missed him so much.

“As a result of his death, the house that they lived in was part of his job and the family had to move house. Because of this, Rose felt that she didn’t put down roots so easily and could never make the friends that any child would. But she made up for it in the rest of her life.”

As she grew to adulthood, Rose married Joe Loughran and was mother to Brendan and Marie. She always worked hard as a wife and mother, and in her work at the General Hospital in Omagh, was always putting other people first.

“Rose was a daily Mass-goer here at the Sacred Heart. At 10am Mass you had Arty Breen and Rose at the back of the church. They were the two oldest people in the Parish,” Fr Graham added.

“She often went to make dinner for the old people and did this at the age of 85. Her shoebox was famous and went to children in Africa. She also knitted bedroom slippers, and I think the only concession she allowed herself was to dress well.”

“On her 100th birthday, there was a lovely celebration. Rose enjoyed it and danced away, just as she did on her 101st birthday in October, 2024.

“One thing about Rose is that she decided the time to go if you were out and about. I can’t help thinking this last few weeks in the hospital she decided herself she was going to go when she wanted to go. Even from her death bed she was trying to think of others, and she leaves the world a much better place than she found it.

“Those who knew her were definitely enriched by her life. She was the aunt, she was unique and we were blessed to have her.”