Couple Sean and Teresa sadly missed by family and local community
THE REYNOLDS family, of Clonard, were deeply saddened by the recent loss of husband and wife Sean and Teresa, within a month of each other.
Sean Reynolds passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by family on February 24. Shortly after his passing, Sean’s wife Teresa became poorly and she also passed away at home, surrounded by family, on March 20.
Born on May 11, 1933, Sean was brought up in School Street with his three sisters Maeve, Dolores and Pauline, and parents Paul and Margaret. He was educated in the CBS and had a busy young life with an array of animals to care for in the back garden of the family home.
As a teenager he moved to Larkinstown to live with his grandmother, two uncles and three aunts. He helped on the farm and worked with his uncle to build a new house there using wooden shutters, and mortar and stone.
Partly as a result of these labours, having been spotted regularly hauling stone to build the house, he secured a job in Johnstown Castle. He spent a number of years there working as a laboratory technician.
He left for a short period to manage a farm for Slaney Meats but returned to Johnstown where he held a post buying cattle for the Johnstown farm, travelling around the marts of Cork and Tipperary with his friend and colleague Nick Sinnott.
He remained working in Johnstown until 1987 when he retired and set up a golf driving range on the farm in Larkinstown. He became a familiar sight for improving golfers in Wexford and kept running the range until the mid 1990s when he retired.
Sean was an avid performer and was part of the chorus during the early days of the Wexford Opera Festival. Sean and Paco Sheehan were a consistent feature in the Tops of the Town as a comedy and musical double act. He was also a regular in the Singing Pubs competitions both as a performer and a compere for Simon Lambert’s pub.
Born on June 21, 1936, Teresa was raised in Carrigeen, County Kilkenny with sisters: Mary, Phil, Della, Esther; brothers Hilary and Gerard; and parents Joe and Anastasia. She was educated in the local primary school and received scholarships to Mount Mellery in Laois and, from there, went to study primary teaching in Carysfort.
She moved to Wexford after graduating, living in a flat on Rowe Street. She took up a post in Kilrane NS teaching with Jim Begley and Barbara Stone. She taught there for a number of years before moving to Piercestown NS where she remained for the rest of her career, teaching the senior infants class.
She loved teaching and helped to set up the Parents’ Council in the school to engage the community in maintaining the school. She also did a significant amount of work to support children who needed additional lessons before the advent of Special Needs Assistants, and regularly brought in lunches for children who might not have consistent food at home.
While working in Kilrane, Teresa met Sean and they married in 1962. They moved into the house in Larkinstown and subsequently had six children: Paul, Aine, Mairead, Eoin, Gerard and Mary.
Sean and Teresa enjoyed socialising with friends on a Saturday night, initially in Whitford and later in Simon Lambert’s.
They also enjoyed regular card sessions of 45 and Bridge. They loved their garden and took great pride in it, particularly after retirement. Teresa enjoyed being out and about, and would have been a regular sight walking in Johnstown and Rosslare.
Teresa had a lifelong love of learning and shortly after retirement obtained a diploma in local history from Maynooth University as well as learning to swim.
Sean and Teresa travelled extensively during their early retirement years across Europe and North Africa and often travelled to see their children Paul and Aine in America.
They will be sadly missed by their six children, 18 grandchildren, sisters Pauline Roche and Della Reid, extended family and their wide circle of friends.