Lily passes just months after 100th birthday

Lily McCusker was born and reared on the family farm at Moore’s Hill, Milltown, in a townland called Edenballycoggle between Waringstown and Donaghcloney. Her parents were Sarah-Jane Corkin and William Moore, and she had four brothers and two sisters, all of whom pre-deceased her.

She was educated at Waringstown Primary School and when she left school she went to work in the linen industry. Factory work wasn’t for Lily and she soon left to find alternative employment.

She met her husband Jim McCusker on the buses, as Jim was a bus conductor and regularly brought the country folk into the town of Lurgan. They set up home in Wellington Street and had two children, William Ronald and James Harold.

Tragedy struck in 1947, when her husband Jim died of Tuberculosis, leaving her, aged just 33, to raise two young boys both under the age of 10.

Despite her massive loss, Lily worked hard to raise the boys, taking on cleaning jobs in various shops and premises around the town. Her sons both went on the have very successful careers. Ronald was a telephone engineer with British Telecom and Harold was a teacher before eventually becoming a Member of Parliament in 1974.

As the Troubles began to take a hold, Lily set up home in Larkfield Square before moving to Dollingstown.

She always said she was happiest in Wellington Street and spoke very highly of all her neighbours.

She fondly recalled her time at the Electric Board shop in Windsor Avenue where she was very popular among all the staff.

Lily had six grandchildren - Graeme, Moore, James, Janice, Elaine and Colin, as well as 15 great grandchildren and a wide family circle of nephews and nieces.

Her family thanked the staff at Mahon Hall care home for the care she received there.