By 
THE Trillick and Irvinestown communities recently came together to mourn the passing of Angela Maguire (née McElholm), a member of well-known family and a lady seeped in the heart and history of the local area.
The late Angela, who was in her early 90s, died in the comfort of her home in Main Street, Irvinestown, surrounded by her loving family. It came after a lengthy period of deteriorating health.
The deceased was born in the townland of Lisdoo, Trillick, one of a family of ten of the late William and Ellie McElholm, being predeceased by seven of her siblings.
She had a very happy childhood growing up as part of a large family, and like the rest of her family, she attended nearby Knocknagor Primary School, this being her only formal education.
Her working life began early, her vocation being hairdressing, and having set up her own salon in Irvinestown, she worked alongside her sister Eileen for a time. This proved to be an inspired move as she had a passion for her job and thrived on meeting friends and neighbours.
Always accommodating, she built up a big clientele, and, with her kindness and generosity, she became a quiet presence in the lives of many in the community up until recent years. Through her long career, deceased never sought the limelight but yet her light shone brightly through her warmth and kindness.
During these busy years, she met and married Claude Maguire, a native of Ederney, and over the years they were blessed with a family of six, five sons and one daughter, all of whom are held in high esteem in the community. For them she was mother, teacher, chef, law maker, councillor and performed many other roles but at the same time, a realist who helped them to achieve their goals in life for which they are eternally grateful.
The late Angela loved family life, living through the experiences of all her family as they progressed through their education and supported them as they went forward with their lives. As time went on, she was delighted to welcome her ten grandchildren, and she found great enjoyment in family gatherings, celebrations and the everyday moments of life.
But she had many other interests in life, such as Gaelic football, coming as she did from a family seeped in the GAA tradition and this interest intensified later in life as her late husband, Claude, was a standout player for the very successful Ederney team during the sixties and seventies.
She also had a strong faith fortified by regular prayer and Mass attendance and she instilled these values in her family. She regularly prepared and attended to the altar in the Sacred Heart Church, in Irvinestown, not for recognition but as a quiet service to God and an example to the next generation.
Always an elegant lady with a love of fashion and with an eye for style, the late Angela was a model of decency, a quiet, affable and unassuming person who offered dignity and kindness to all who were privileged to have known her.
Following the death of her husband Claude in 2020, and the onset of some health issues, life became more difficult for her, but she enjoyed the devotion and care of a loving family. She had a long and happy life devoted to her family and she will be sadly missed by her sons, daughter, siblings, grandchildren and many friends.
Her Requiem Mass took place in the Sacred Heart church in Irvinestown amid an exceptionally large congregation of mourners, many of them representatives of many of her interests in life. The celebrant was Very Rev Kevin Duffy PP Irvinestown who, in his homily, spoke of the great sadness felt among her family and her legacy of kindness and sense of community.
Burial took place immediately afterwards in the family plot in the adjoining cemetery. The deceased is survived by her daughter Claire, five sons Edward, Claude, Austin, Damien and Ross, ten grandchildren, sister Vera, brother Sammy and numerous other relatives and friends to all of whom we extend our deepest sympathy.
She was predeceased by husband Claude in 2020, sisters Maura, Kathleen, Eileen and Sarah, and brothers Herbie, Sean and Willie.
