'A gentle soul, full of life, full of joy and full of love': Magherafelt road victim laid to rest

Mourners at the funeral of a pensioner who died after being struck by a car while crossing the road have heard that he was ‘a gentle soul, full of life, full of joy and full of love’.

John Joe Shaw was knocked down after he got off a bus just before 6pm on Thursday, November 6 in the Grange Road area of Magherafelt.

Sadly, the father-of-four passed away at the scene.

Hundreds of mourners turned out today (Monday) to pay their final respects to John Joe at his funeral, which was held in Church of St Mary, Coolcalm.

At the beginning of the Mass, a number of symbols from the 69 year-old’s ‘life of love’ were brought forward and placed on the altar.

Among them was a photograph of John Joe and a pair of rosary beads - a symbol of his faith which was ‘so central’ to his life.

A trophy, one of the many which John Joe had won over the years at dog shows with his beloved Whippets, was also brought forward.

Officiating at the Mass, Desertmartin Parish Priest, Fr Michael McCaul said that John Joe’s death had brought an absence to the lives of all who knew and loved him.

“John Joseph Shaw tried his best to live a life of love.  John showed this in very ordinary, little and simple ways.  He gave his time, he gave his energy, he gave his love to all who came his way.  For John Joseph Shaw, love was not a chore, it wasn’t a burden, it was a simple way of life, a way of love,” the priest said.

“You all held John Joe in affection, with great affection, and he held you with that special devotion of a husband, of a father, of a brother, an uncle and a friend to obviously so, so many.  I know his death brings an absence to your life.”

John Joe was born on August 10 1956 to Peter and Annie Shaw in the Broagh, Castledawson.  There he grew up with his siblings Margaret, Anne, Bell, Marie, Gabriel and Breege.

Fr McCaul described John Joe as ‘a man of many talents and skills’.  

He began his working life as a welder, then spent some time in nursing and did some work on the markets before he returned full circle, back to welding again.

Early in his working life, he married the 'love of his life', Martina, whom he met at school, and in the early 1980s the couple moved to Grange Lane in Magherafelt and built the family home there.  Shortly after they welcomed the arrival of their children Claire, Cathal, Ciara and the late baby Catherine.

“Everyone who knew John Joe will agree that there were two loves in his life - the love of his family and Whippets - the dogs which he cherished so well,” Fr McCaul stated.

He said John Joe and Martina worked very hard to provide for their family and they all enjoyed trips away during the summer holidays.

“Every year John Joe would be seen pulling out the trailer tent and getting it ready for his annual trip to France, or God knows wherever John Joe had a notion that you were going to,” the priest continued. 

“John Joe certainly loved to load up the wagon and I was told by the family that on one occasion he loaded the wagon up so much that it was too heavy to go up the ramp of the boat.  One can only imagine the French language that perhaps John Joe would have used then.”

Fr McCaul also recalled an occasion when John Joe took his daughter Claire to school on the back of his motorbike.

“He had only one helmet with him but he gave that helmet to Claire to wear and, knowing John Joe’s luck, wasn’t he stopped by the police and done for it.  That didn’t matter to him because he battered on with life.  As long as the family was okay, he was okay.”

Mourners heard that the other love in John Joe’s life was Whippets.  

“Anyone who knew John Joe would know that he is known and respected throughout the Whippets training circuit in both Ireland and England.  He was a top breeder.  He won many trophies for Whippet breeding and in competitions throughout this land and across the water,” said Fr McCaul.

“He often took the Whippets to shows, including Crufts, and he raced them all over the place.  I was amazed when I was told yesterday that at one stage he had 24 Whippets.  Each had names and he knew them all personally.  John Joe even organised a local dog show in one of the fields just down from the house and put on all the events with it.  He had two favourites, I believe - Billy and Mango - and they had a special place in his heart.  Indeed they had a special place in the house.  They had a special place in John Joe’s bed.”

Described as ‘a colourful character’, the priest said John Joe had many gifts and talents.

“He loved Irish folk music - he used to listen to people that we never heard of, people that were sometimes the worst singers in the world but John Joe would sing along to these songs.  No-one ever told him perhaps that he hadn’t got a note in his head, that was the quote I was given, but that didn’t matter, he was happy to sing along.  He sang along to these songs and he also thought he could dance as well but no-one ever put him off his notion.

“John Joe often remarked how life was too short, so he would always be up for a bit of craic, he would always be up for a party.  John Joe would be the man to phone if you were down.  He had a great joy about him, a great gift of the spirit.”

The priest also alluded to John Joe’s creative thinking during the Mass.

“He used to buy all sorts of bits and pieces that he stored away in what you might call, at best, his museum in the garage.  He had all these bits and pieces and often the family would be wondering or asking ‘why are you buying that’ or ‘what are you buying thon for’.  ‘You might need it some day’ was often the reply, and that great day came because one day the whole lane had flooded and the locals, I believe, were trapped in their houses.  To their amazement, out of their windows, they saw John Joe coming down the lane in a kayak, able to ferry people up and down.  Such an imagination and a massive heart of love for all people.

“He had a unique sense of humour and was a gifted storyteller.  He also had time for everyone who came his way, especially children,” added Fr McCaul.

The priest concluded his homily by reading a poem by Henry Van Dyke entitled 'Gone from My Sight'.

John Joe was laid to rest afterwards in the adjoining cemetery.