Once turned down role of Mayor but always loved to help people

Cyril Arnold McLoughlin was the youngest of four sons born to the late John and Margaret McLoughlin.
Cyril McLoughlinCyril McLoughlin
Cyril McLoughlin

His brothers, who have pre-deceased him, were Ivan, Ronnie and Aubrey.

He spent the very early part of his childhood, along with his brothers, at his mother’s home in the Bannfoot.

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The family subsequently came to live in Lower Seagoe, in a row of brick houses which Cyril’s father had purchased. These were situated on the land currently occupied by Ulster Carpet Mills.

Cyril loved Lower Seagoe and talked about it, his father and mother and brothers until the end of his life.

He attended Carn Sunday School, which no longer exists, and the old Seagoe Primary School. He started work on the family farm at a very good age and the passion for the land never left him.

He also became a very good mechanic thanks to informal training he received by a local garage owner at Lisnisky.

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When he was just a lad his service to the church started when his father sent him to cut the grass around the rectory. This led to various roles around the church, resulting in over 60 years of service to the community.

He served on the vestry for years: was appointed Rector’s church warden and elected people’s church warden twice. For many years he was the Registrar of the Church Yard, a position he enjoyed, as he had the opportunity to talk with new and old families in Seagoe and families from overseas who wished to trace their family history.

He served for decades on numerous primary school boards of governors, including the primary school in Seagoe.

He was elected to Craigavon Borough Council but unfortunately this was a period of great turmoil for councillors which did not suit Cyril’s personality.

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As such, he turned down the offer of Mayor because of the tensions; he simply wanted to help people alongside caring for his young family.

Even when he wasn’t on the council, many people called at the family home seeking his help with a problem or issue.

Cyril met Winnie, when she was 17, at a social in Ardmore and a casual friendship soon turned in to a serious romance.

They would be married 60 years in July this year.

They were blessed with three sons David, Alan and Robin. Unfortunately due to the current restrictions David and Alan and their families weren’t able to join the funeral service in person. This made it a particularly difficult time for David, Alan and their wives Anna and Fiona and Cyril’s grandchildren Ella, Maria and Edward, however, thanks to modern technology they were able to watch this service live via a personal online link.

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Cyril and Winnie lived happily with the three boys in the bungalow Cyril built on the family farm in Lower Seagoe, now the site of Almac. Major upheaval came for Cyril and the family with the arrival of the new city of Craigavon, the house and the farm were all vested. Cyril found this very difficult but his can-do attitude allowed the family to start again on the Lurgan Road. People simply knew the house as the McLoughlin home, as Cyril over the years took such care of the garden and the surrounding trees.

The house enabled the boys to attend local schools and maintain close links with the church.

Cyril had a number of hobbies, he played the drum in a pipe band and the boys marvelled at how he could roll his drumsticks. His love of traditional church music and the bagpipes continued all his life, indeed in the later stages of illness he couldn’t read but could still sing all the old hymns and carols word for word.

He was a great marksman and won many trophies in clay pigeon competitions. He was Chairman of Seagoe Bowls for years and always enjoyed a game of indoor bowls when he had some respite from the farm.

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However, it was obvious his passion was the farm – he loved his life on the land and he had such joy over the years working alongside Robin.

He held a number of offices in the loyal orders and loved the annual parade to Scarva to hear the silver and pipe bands. He was awarded the 60-year service medal and right to the end he enjoyed the friendship and craic with the members of Tamnificarbet.

Later in life when the children had grown up they generously provided for Cyril and Winnie with two luxury cruises and holidays to America and Europe. When Cyril was young he would never have dreamed of visiting such parts of the world.

In 2009 Cyril was very unfortunate to have a silent heart attack and since then he only had 30% of his heart functioning. Despite the challenges his appetite for life was incredible and the boys arranged for Winnie and Cyril to visit the Holy Land. Cyril and Winnie thoroughly enjoyed visiting their children and grandchildren in England, until recent years when he was no longer able to travel.

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Winnie was grateful for the support from Jennifer and Robin in recent years as together they supported Cyril in his journey.

At the end, life was challenging for Cyril but thankfully God took him home peacefully. The family thank God for His mercy and for the life and joy Cyril brought to their lives. Winnie and the boys were overwhelmed with the messages of sympathy and wish to thank everyone for their prayers of support.