HEARTBROKEN PARENTS PAY TRIBUTE TO THEIR ‘BEST BUDDY’ OLLIE ( 3)
TODAY (TUESDAY) marks one week since the sad passing of young toddler Ollie Dempsey.
The news of three-year old shook the entire county on Tuesday when Ollie unexpectedly passed away in Wexford General Hospital after he suddenly fell ill.
Grieving parents Jane and Barry Dempsey said they do not know what happened to Ollie and won’t find out for another two to three months.
Ollie was a very special to both Jane and Barry. She said he was everyone’s ‘ best buddy’ and nothing ever bothered him.
He enjoyed his bedtime stories and would always say his prayer before going to sleep.
‘He was so mannerly,’ said Jane. ‘If you asked him what do you say or if you gave him anything he would quickly respond with “please, thank you and I love you”.’
Ollie was the first to make his new little brother Darragh laugh out loud. When he first met Darragh, who is now six months old, he wasn’t too happy and would try to open the straps of his chair to see if he would fall out. But then very quickly the two because best friends and Ollie would say ‘where’s my baby?’ when Darragh wasn’t with Jane when they were collecting him from somewhere.
He really loved his brother Eoghan (13) and sister Aishling (10), who are Barry’s other children.
Jane said Ollie insisted that his sister’s name was Ashlynn and would always correct them if they called her anything else.
He always looked forward to seeing them and loved when Eoghan taught him kickboxing moves.
Young Ollie adored all of his cousins. He would do his homework with Ciara and Chloe. Cousin Hollie would ring Ollie every day to talk to him.
‘Kyle and Ollie loved to play Lego together,’ said Jane.
The most important day of the week for Ollie was Tuesdays with his father, as he had to bake brown bread to bring down to his Nanny’s house. Jane said if anything needed fixing Ollie would always answer with ‘Grandad Eddie will fix it’.
Ollie loved so many different things including school, his teachers, Paw Patrol, his grandad’s blue van and to see what Nanny Mary had in her bag for him.
‘He would come home and teach us sign language,’ said Jane.
Barry and Jane said he would never really give anyone hugs as they were ‘only for Mammy and Daddy’.
The local créche Eager Beavers closed down for the week out of respect and Jane said they were as devastated as everyone else in the village. Ollie had just started pre-school in late August.
Barry’s family run Dempsey’s Cabs in Wexford town and his father James and mother Margaret live in Liam Mellows Park in Wexford.
Jane is a former O’Connor and her father Eddie lived in St Aidan’s Villas in Enniscorthy before moving out to Boolavogue. Her mother Mary lived in Monageer and now lives in Enniscorthy.
The heartbroken couple said they would like to stress how thankful they are to family, friends, neighbours, staff at Tesco, Staffords, Aoife Parle and Gail Murphy for the music and to the whole community of Monamolin.
‘I haven’t seen anything like it before and I just want to thank all of them for coming together,’ said Barry.