OBITUARY: Catherine Loughran took a huge interest in all of her grandchildren

Catherine Loughran (nee Carroll), born in 21 Mc Dermott’s Terrace, Dundalk in 1941, was the fourth eldest in a family of nine of Peter and Kathleen Carroll.

She died on March 24th in the Lourdes hospital just short of her 82nd birthday. She had really happy memories of her childhood in ‘The Terrace’, but experienced bereavement at an early age when her brother, Francis, and sister, Bridget, both died at a young age due to ill health.

It was a happy house and it was when a piano was purchased and a family relative came to play it that Catherine realised she had a singing voice.

That was to give her a love of music which she cherished so much throughout her life.

Following her education in St Vincent’s, Catherine went to work in the Dundalk Bacon factory office.

She had very fond memories of her eight years there and like everything in her life, it was always the social aspect of things that made her happiest.

Renowned throughout her life for her smile and throwing her head back in laughter, she had a great sense of humour and loved a laugh and telling a yarn and having a good sing-song.

Catherine started off in the Friary choir as a young girl and then joined the local musical society, where a show would be put on annually under the watchful eye of her lifelong friend, Geraldine McGee.

Catherine moved to Dublin where she only lasted six months when Cupid struck through the arrival on the scene of her husband-to-be Stephen Loughran.

They married and set up home in the newly developed ArdEasmuinn, where she lived for the majority of her life.

She was heavily involved in the local Ladies Club, school, church and fundraising for charities.

Her life was inspired by her devotion to Our Lady Her Blessed Mother, especially through the Rosary and her work with the Legion of Mary, her loyalty to the Mass and Eucharistic Adoration.

Her deep faith underpinned her role as a mother and a grandmother and the spirit of family extended to her interest in and care for her brothers and sisters.

Catherine had a great love for reading, crosswords, competing in a game of scrabble or a family quiz.

She enjoyed being a member of the Marist Choir with a lot of good friends and loved performing in musicals.

Unfortunately life’s road produced a curveball when Stephen passed away suddenly in Christmas 1997.

She was heartbroken for Stephen. Like every other challenge in her life Catherine met it head on and eventually got herself back on her feet by attending a Fás Course, which helped her to get a job in ABB where she worked part time for 12 years until 2011.

A testament of how highly regarded she was in ABB was the number of ex-colleagues who attended her funeral along with some old pals from the Dundalk dog track where Catherine previously worked with Stephen for years.

Her children, Patrick, Claire and Paul, wish to thank most sincerely all her family and close friends and carers that were so much part of her very fulfilled life.

We were surrounded by so much love and support over mam’s funeral we are so grateful.

Mam bore her illness over the past few years with such humility and dignity we will never forget her good humour, bravery and courage throughout.

She will be sadly missed by all those that knew her and an invaluable down-to-earth approach to life was one of her great strengths, appreciated by family and all who came to know her.

Her 10 grandchildren played a very important part in her life and she took such a huge interest in all of them from their education, football, swimming, camogie, music and singing interests.

She would have been so proud of how all her grandchildren took part in her Funeral Mass.