Farewell Delores
Sad death of long-serving volunteer
WEXFORD COMMUNITY Games lost a long-serving volunteer and friend last week with the death of County Treasurer Delores Moran.
Delores had battled ill-health on and off for a few years, but never lost her zest for life, right up to the last. At the county athletic finals held at The Hub in Enniscorthy on Sunday, June 12, the familiar diminutive figure of Delores handing out drinks to the workers and selling programmes from her shop was missing.
News filtered around the track that she was poorly in hospital and the thoughts of her colleagues were with her at that difficult time. Sadly she lost her battle and died peacefully on Monday evening.
Born Delores Van Oordt in Woodstock, Capetown, South Africa, her family re-located to Walthamstow, England, while she was still a teenager. It was here that she later met and married James (Jim) Moran, and in the early ’80s they decided to come to Ireland and they settled in Jim’s homeland of Lambstown, Killurin.
She quickly adjusted to life in a rural community and once her son, Jason, became involved with swimming at the local Wexford Swimming Club, she too became involved with the local Glynn-Barntown Community Games.
She immersed herself in the running of various activities like art, swimming and athletics, and also offered herself as a committee member. She worked tirelessly to cater for all the children in the area and knew so many of them by name.
During her many years working at local level, she took on the role of Chairperson and steered her committee to become a top Area in the county. She also served as an Area Secretary and as well as that looked after the finances of the Area as Treasurer.
From her involvement as a delegate to the county meetings she took on the onerous position of county Treasurer in the early ’90s and worked tirelessly since then to keep the finances in a strong healthy state, lobbying local authorities for financial aid as well as businesses around the county.
She held that position right up to her death last week, for close on 25 years. That’s dedication.
For a time too she took on the county P.R.O. role and sent in reports on county and provincial activities. For the past ten to twelve years she was Wexford’s N.E.A.C. delegate and travelled to Dublin on a regular basis for national meetings, bringing back reports and making sure that the county was up to date on all activities and rules associated with Community Games.
Many children around the county will remember with fondness her time as county manager for Wexford at the national finals held in Mosney. This was a real highlight for her and she looked forward to being with the children and also spending time meeting with old friends and making new friends from various parts of the country.
She also served as a delegate to the national A.G.M’s for many years and in addition to all of the above, she took time out to help at the Leinster team finals. From Area to county, from provincial to national, she did it all in the name of Community Games.
Although small in stature, she could hold her own in any debate or discussion and put her ideas and points forward with clarity and confidence.
Delores passed away at Wexford General Hospital on Monday, June 13. Her remains were removed to Glynn church on Thursday evening with Requiem Mass on Friday at 12 noon, followed by burial to the nearby cemetery.
During the funeral Mass, members of Wexford Community Games as well as family friends took the readings, prayers of the faithful and brought gifts to the altar. Wexford President Margaret McDermott paid tribute to Delores and said that all who met Delores had a special memory of her.
She said Delores had two families - her beloved James and son Jason, and Community Games. We will miss you, she said, and to James and Jason, her surviving sister and her extended family, we share your loss too.
A guard of honour taken from Wexford Community Games accompanied the hearse on its short journey to the cemetery. Rest in peace Delores.