Dromore man with a love of poetry and literature

A retired Northern Ireland manager of Robertson’s Jams, Mr Poots was born in 1924 to Robert and Ellen Poots at the Hollow Farm in Ballynaris. His mother took ill when he was very young and he was brought up by Mary Poots, a spinster who lived in a cottage on the edge of the farm.

He had five brothers and two sisters and attended a small rural school at Magherabeg, now a private residence, before starting to work at McMaster’s general grocer’s shop in Church Street, Dromore.

After attending technical college, Mr Poots obtained employment as a commercial traveller with Graham and Jordans and after a couple of years moved to Robertson’s Jam where he worked for 35 years, rising to the position of sales manager.

He met his future wife, Renee Hill, while working in McMaster’s after Renee was evacuated to Greenan from Belfast. The couple married in 1944 and later moved to Belfast where they raised a family of four - Ronnie, Vaughan, Alan and Medwin. There were further relocations to Beech Street, Madison Avenue and Derrycoole Way before Ernie retired in 1988 and the family returned to the cottage at Ballynaris.

Renee was housebound for many years until her death in 2006 and Ernie rebuilt the cottage around her needs - they celebrated 60 years of marriage in 2004.

In later life, he developed a photographic memory for the people, families and history of the Dromore area – the McGuigans, Downeys, Gillilands, Mallons, Thompsons, Grahams and Finnegans and was a well known figure around the town, regularly stopping for a chat with his many friends and acquaintances about days gone by and how rural life had changed over the years.

Ernie valued work, family, faith and education and combined all these in bringing up his family. There was little time for anything else, although he had a life-long love of literature, oil painting - which he dabbled in - and poetry. He could recite whole swathes of poetry, including the works of Tennyson, Robbie Burns and Longfellow.

He is survived by his four sons, Ronnie, a retired school principle in Alberta, Canada; Vaughan, a management consultant in West Sussex; Medwin, a retired psychologist in London, and Alan, a GP in Kilkeel. He is also survived by nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren and to these and all other relatives, sincere sympathy is extended.

The funeral service took place in Dromore Cathedral, with the funeral address and tribute given by Rev Trevor McKeown. Donations in lieu of flowers are being sent to R.J. Poots and Co., 6 Circular Road, Dromore, for Lagan Valley Coronary Care Unit.