Hugely popular Jean Lambe was a devoted family woman with a big passion for sport
A large crowd attended her funeral and tributes were paid to the wonderful decent life she lived and the kind, devoted mother she was.
Jean was a member of the Walsh family from Townrath. She was one of five siblings and she has one surviving sister Judy, 88, who lives a few doors down from her.
She worked as a seamstress in the Greenmount and Boyne factory, Greenhills from 1946 to 1955 and one of her main jobs was to hem and box the sheets for the American market, a task she was very proud of.
She met her husband Kevin at a dance in Collon and two of them used to cycle to and from the dancehall on their bikes.
They were happily married for over 55 years until Kevin passed away in 2011 at 88 years of age.
He worked all his life on Donegan's Farm in Monasterboice for former Government minister the late Paddy Donegan TD and would also regularly chauffeur him to various events around the county.
Jean gave up work when her first child Pauline was born and loved being at home cooking and minding the children.
All her kids were sent to the old Ballymakenny Cross Primary School which is now closed and would walk three miles across the fields to and from school every day.
Two of her neighbours in Killineer Cottages also had big families with 15 and 13 children respectively. The three families between them filled up the school.
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Apart from caring for her children Jean's great passion in life was sport.
She was a devout Manchester United fan and never missed a United game on the telly.
She also had a huge interest in her local Gaelic football club the Naoimh Martin and was over the moon when they won the Louth senior football championship for the first time a few years ago.
She was a big supporter of Louth as well and often went to matches.
Her other great passion in sport was snooker and she loved watching it on the telly and the late great Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins was her favourite snooker player.
Jean loved socialising and would go out every weekend to catch up with friends and neighbours. Donegans in Monasterboice was her favourite place to go.
She is predeceased by her husband Kevin and son Paddy and survived by her children Pauline, Michael, Rosemary, Kevin, Aidan, Brendan, Raymond, Eddie, Sinead, and Fergus.
Her funeral mass was held in the Church of The Immaculate Conception, Tenure and burial afterwards in Monasterboice cemetery.
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