Shock and sorrow at sudden death of John Shortt

FERMOY town was plunged into deepest mourning as the news of the sad, tragic and unexpected passing of one of the town’s most likeable citizens, the late John Shortt, of Parnell Terrace, Fermoy, began to spread last week.

Everybody was in deep sorrow and shock as everybody in the town and surrounding areas knew John, or at least heard of him at some stage in his all too short life.

John had lived all his life in Fermoy. He was the only son of his parents, the late Jerry and Kathleen (nee O’Brien). He resided at Parnell Tce for the greater part of his life where he was well known by all his neighbours.

He worked on the office staff at the Faber/Castell Pencil Manufacturing Plant in Fermoy for many years where he was always one of the most popular of the staff members,

One of his favourite pastimes was a game of snooker at the local CYMS Hall where he was an esteemed member all his life. He also had a great love of music and he took part in many local productions over the years. A great singer also, he was always prevailed upon to give a song when ever he was present at a function or wedding party etc.

In many ways John always gave a lot of himself to his friends in Fermoy, he was always a pleasure to meet, he always had a good word for everyone and even if you felt down yourself, an encounter with John, no matter how brief, always helped raise the spirits because John was always good for a laugh or a joke no matter how grave the situation might appear at the time.

As Fr PJ O’Driscoll mentioned many times during his funeral Requiem Mass, John or “Shorty” as he was to his close friends (and they were many), “John was a lovely, funny person, he always wore a smile and he encouraged others to do so at all times”.

His popularity with all was really brought home by the large numbers who attended his Removal and his Requiem Mass in St Patrick’s Church and his funeral to Kilcrumper New Cemetery. Many of his friends and colleagues from school days and from work and various shows etc that John was involved with, returned and some from long distances to be with their good friend at the end.

He will be sadly and lovingly missed by his best friend, Helen Curran, his cousins in Fermoy and Mitchelstown etc. but especially by his many friends of long standing who will miss him dearly,

Ar dheis De go raibh a anam.