Kenneth (32) thoughtful, kind, gentle and respectful
THE sad death of 32-year-old Kenneth Rowe of Tullibards, Bridgetown, has left his community, friends and family stunned and in grief at his passing.
Kenneth was a man of many interests and was widely read, especially in terms of biographies, history and music and listening and playing the cello and guitar.
His family said he had boundless love for everyone, and animals great and small. He had two dogs ‘Pixie’ and ‘Trixie’ and horses ‘Manny’, ‘Eddie’ and ‘Queeny’ and her foal ‘Millie’ – and this was much in evidence when the courtege at his funeral Mass at St Mary’s Parish Church, Kilmore, was led by his beloved animals.
A great conversationalist, he loved sharing a meal with friends and family.
Kenneth always tried to go where he was needed, with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye and was considered the tourist attraction in Hook with his horse and trap
He lived life to the full, whether that meant a day on his own with his ‘girls’ or a night talking to friends. Above all he was his own man, fiercely private and independent
He was compassionate, thoughtful, kind, gentle, respectful, polite, humble, a lovely person to know.
A friend in the locality said: ‘He brightened my day when he dropped in to the office, always cheerful and always had time to stay and talk awhile.’
His neighbours in the Hook had this to say: ‘Ken was our neighbour in Churchtown and he was the first neighbour to greet us when we arrived in 2010. He was always smiling and friendly and would often pop over for coffee and a chat, and occasionally to spend the evening with us. We grew very fond of him and shall miss him terribly. He took us for rides in his pony and trap to The Templars.
‘He was a kind soul and a unique character. He could often be found sitting in his front garden reading or playing guitar. On our visits to Hook, we looked forward to catching up with him. He spoke lovingly about his parents and his siblings.
‘We recall once being at the top of the Lighthouse and seeing Ken walk his horse ‘Manny’ on the road below, much to the bemusement of some American visitors. He was a lovely neighbour and a great character and we are very sad to hear of his passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this sad time.’
In a eulogy, Kenneth’s father Peter said his son grew from a dearly loved baby into a loving, mischievous, free-spirited young man, full of life and love was always determined to overcome any obstacle in his way.
‘As a child he was obsessed with tractors and machinery and very often up to no good. As young adult he got through some difficult times with the love and support of close friends and family,’ said Peter.
His early twenties were years of amazing adventures. He travelled near and far – Mexico, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Algeria, Morocco, New Zealand and many other countries.
His favourite form of transport was a motorbike and when he visited other countries his loved to head off into the countryside and see how ordinary people lived.
‘He always wanted to meet real people. When he finished his travels, he went about getting every other vehicle license he could, from motorbike to artic.
‘And then he bought his first horse ‘Manny’ and that was the beginning of a whole new phase in his life with Eddie, Queenie and Millie joining the scene. In the middle of all this he worked as a rigger, a lorry driver amongst other things.
‘Between the horses and dogs he found lots of time to hang out with friends, neighbours and anyone who would stop and talk to him. If you said hello to Kenneth you could end up talking to him two hours or two days later.’
‘Bernie and I loved Kenneth with a love beyond all telling; we were blessed and grateful to have him in our lives for 32 years.’