Funeral of Victor Fisher hears he 'put his heart and soul into Letterkenny'

Victor Fisher made his final journey in Letterkenny today, a town that he loved and served so well.

Victor passed away today at his home, Anfield Grove, Kiltoy, aged 85, on Friday.

“Victor gave so much to many," Monsignor Kevin Gillespie, the Diocesan Administrator, who concelebrated at St Eunan’s Cathedral, said.

“A husband, a father, and a brother, who loved so dearly. He was a local representative, with the emphasis on local. He served many, many years, over six terms and gave his commitment to Letterkenny Rovers FC. I'd like to acknowledge both of those extended communities that Victor was so much involved with.

“He encouraged so many different good things for this town. He made a great contribution to so many of the young generation. There are many for whom Victor was an important support in Letterkenny and beyond, all who are very sorry to hear of his loss.”

Born in Ramelton, Victor was best known in Letterkenny, where he worked at Harris’s shop before opening up his own business, Victor’s Gift Shop.

He also worked for his long-time friend, the late Bernard McGlinchey, at the Golden Grill and then in 1985 was selected to run as a Fianna Fáil candidate for the Urban District Council election and was elected and at every election and served 29 years up until 2014 when the town councils were disbanded. 

Predeceased by his parents George and Francis, baby brother Terence and Carl, sisters Isabel and Georgina, Visitor’s loss is deeply regretted by his wife Helen (nee price), daughter Mairead, (Jonny), sons David (Justine), Kevin (Clara) and Barry, grandchildren, Jordan, Tori, Daragh, Luke, Renee, Rudi, Noah, Theo, Kaia Rey, Kasey Mae, great-grandson Leo, sister Eileen (Hull), in laws, relatives, neighbours and friends.

“Victor seemed to find time to do everything, but as he once said to David, he never worked a day in his life,” Monsignor Gillespie continued. 

“For Victor, it was all life and living, summed up in friendship, helping others when they ask or even if they don’t ask. This made every part of Victor’s life a natural development. When he was a younger man and he noticed bother with a house being sorted out, it prompted him to take an interest in the process. This led him to a long life in local representation.

“When Bernard McGlinchy needed a hand at the door of the Grill, he was there. When tickets needed selling for Letterkenny Rovers, or indeed Finn Harps, Victor was there in the booth, or going through the bars or wherever there was a crowd.  When the children were growing up, he brought them to the matches, or to the cinema or to the pantomime, where he would sit in the front seats and be written into the scripts to his great enjoyment. He’d go over the children’s spelling or their times-tables, or even here at the Cathedral, when baskets needed collecting, it was Victor. 

“He stood up in life and got on with it. It was all friendship. He had no end of energy. It wasn’t work, it was life and living. He had some way of being 100 per cent him and 100 per cent present. Growing up in the Railway Cottage, he lived when the trains still used the line that is now Pearse Road. Helen, whom he had such a close bond for 56 years, was from the nearby Rosemount Terrace. His family said he didn’t have to go far.

“Victor never drove. He was always the passenger and Helen always drove - the school runs, the sports fixtures and the political outings - this was all Helen. I guess that he simply enjoyed Helen’s company. 

“He loved Mairead, David, Kevin and Barry and was delighted with their marriages and he was mad about his grandchildren. He delighted in each one of them. It gave him great satisfaction when they played with Rovers, and even with Johnny [Minnock, son-in-law] at Finn Harps, it was all encouragement. 

“The other thing about Victor is that he never seemed to tire. He was very spontaneous. If you asked him to do something, he was off right away, there and then. He’d leave a friend to man the counter in the shop. He was as often out as in. His late Isabel was often a fixture there with him. 

“As a local representative, he put his heart and his soul into the betterment of Letterkenny and opportunities for his people. Six times he served in this role and three times as the town mayor. Look at the amenities Letterkenny has. They all reflect the interest in the town’s people by those who have represented them. Victor would seek the best for this town. He was fiercely proud of Letterkenny, what it stood for and everyone in it.

“He gave words of encouragement, always positive, always ready for the next step. There was no point in looking at limitations. It was about fixing your eye on the future. He was a man of faith, which was the point where he lived out the principles of the gospel. Victor believed it was always worthwhile doing good.”