Rodlovedmusicand wasanavidsportsfan
THERE was great sadness among family and friends as Rod Matheson passed away at Wexford General Hospital on August 10.
Roderick (Rod) William Matheson, a proud Scotsman who spent many years living in Kiltegan, Co Wicklow, and Grantstown, Wellingtonbridge, Co Wexford, was born on April 5, 1926. He came from an army family and went into the army himself from an early age, having attended Queen Victoria Military School.
He rose to the rank of sergeant, training as an artificer, or ‘ Tiffy’, repairing and maintaining small arms. He was very skilled with his hands and was never happier than when he was taking a watch or a clock apart and restoring it to working order.
Rod loved to travel and during his army career volunteered for many trips overseas, serving in Egypt, Borneo, Tripoli, Malaysia and West Africa.
Rod married his first wife, Mary Daniels, and the couple had three children – Carol, Davina and Roderick Junior – who accompanied him on many of his tours of duty abroad.
Sadly, Rod lost his wife Mary and subsequently moved to Ireland in 1992, when he married Sally O’Byrne.
He loved his time in Kiltegan and often spoke of the years he spent there as some of the happiest in his life.
Rod moved to Wexford in 2008 and remained there following Sally’s death in 2013.
He loved music and was Boy Band Sergeant while at school, where he played clarinet in the military band. He often lamented that he had wanted to learn to play the bagpipes but that he had no say in what instrument he ended up with.
Rod maintained his lifelong love of music, playing the harmonica in latter years, and he was also a very accomplished dancer. He would keep a sheet of Scottish songs in his pocket at parties and was always happy to sing a few of his favourites.
In his youth, Rod was a great sportsman, he was a gymnast, swimmer and enjoyed playing cricket and rugby. His love of sport stayed with him throughout his life and, up to the end, he took a keen interest in major sporting events of all kinds on television and in the newspapers. Up to very recently, he enjoyed reading his two newspapers every day to keep up-to-date with current affairs.
One of Rod’s favourite Scottish blessings to wish someone well for the future was a quote from Robbie Burns: ‘Lang May Yer Lum Reek’ or ‘Long May Your Chimney Smoke’. Rod’s family and step-family wish him well for his final journey. DERICK Robins was a loyal partner and father who loved to travel and was never one to rest when there was a job to be done.
The Dublin native spent the final four years of his life in Chapel Hill, Baltinglass having moved into town from the more rural Tynock.
Derick was 67 when he passed away, less than three months after he was diagnosed with multiple brain tumours. His partner of 28 years, Rita, and his son Paul were by his side around the clock during his final days before Derick passed away on Thursday, August 16.
Derick grew up in Ballinteer, Co Dublin, one of eight siblings. After his schooling, he moved to Scotland at the age of 18 to work.
The move was made easier by the fact that he had relatives there and had spent many happy times with his grandparents on holidays there over the years.
Derick started working in hotels in Scotland which would be the beginning of a lifelong career in hospitality.
Once the pull of home became strong, Derick moved back to Dublin and worked in various establishments, including the Berkley Court and, later, Kilternan Golf and Country Club until it closed.
Derick was very much a ‘people person’ and loved meeting others from different walks of life.
He was a lover of the great outdoors and, coming from an urban upbringing, he loved getting away from the noise to scenic places like Kerry and Donegal.
These were often the inspiration for his artworks. He was a selftaught artist. He started sketching with pencil and eventually learned to paint beautiful watercolour and oil works on canvas. The ocean and all things seafaring were common themes and even on a recent holiday to Aruba, Derick sought inspiration from the sea and scenery around him.
Derick and Rita had been together 28 years when he passed away. They met when she was working in a launderette and, while it took two years for her to agree to have coffee with Derick, the couple were together ever since.
They enjoyed a wonderful life together and spent many happy times taking trips all over Ireland and planning what they would plant in the garden.
Derick was a keen gardener and successfully grew a great variety of fruit and vegetables at home.
After he retired, he would often accompany Rita to her home care job in Dublin and on the bus, they would plan what next to grow.
Derick would potter around Dublin city and then meet Rita when her work was done. He was also often seen out and about with his little dog Charlie and Derick was heartbroken last year when, at the age of 17, Charlie was put to sleep.
The couple very much enjoyed life in Baltinglass and, though only there a few short years, felt welcomed into the community, especially by their kind neighbours Tara and Eoin and children Scarlett and Poppy.
The support of Natasha from Life Pharmacy and Fiona from The Perch coffee shop was also invaluable to them and made the difficult weeks at the end of Derick’s life more bearable for Rita.
Derick also had a great friendship with Rita’s brother Joe whom he affectionately knew as ‘my old pal’.
Funeral Mass was said for Derick in St Joseph’s Church, Baltinglass followed by cremation in Newland’s Cross Crematorium.
He is survived by Rita, Paul, siblings, relatives and many friends and neighbours,