The death occurred on 28th May 2016 in Galway Hospice of Noreen Nation (nee Hussey) of Galway and late of Clonmoher, Bodyke. Reposed in the Holy Family Funeral Home, Mervue on 2nd June from 5.00pm to 6.30pm. Requiem Mass was celebrated in the Church of the Assumption, Bodyke at 11.30am on 3 June with burial afterwards in Kilnoe Cemetery.
May she rest in peace.
Noreen Nation (1934-2016)
“…….and we all knew one thing by being there.
The space we stood around had been emptied
into us to keep…..”
Fr Donagh O’Meara PP quoted from Seamus Heaney’s Clearances when he spoke of the passing of Noreen Nation and when he offered sympathy to her sons Dean, Sean and Gerard, to her brother Micheal and to her extended family when they gathered for Noreen’s funeral Mass in Bodyke on Friday 3rd June 2016. Noreen had died in Galway Hospice on 28th May after a bravely-fought battle with cancer. She had been practical and philosophical about her fate and had been able to tell her sons that she wished to have her funeral in her native place like that of her beloved sister Mena who had died just over a year before.
Noreen was known to her old neighbours in Bodyke as the youngest child of Michael and Katie Hussey of Clonmoher. Like so many of her generation Noreen emigrated to England where she found work and where in time she met and married Gerry Nation. The happy caring couple settled in Leeds and raised their sons there until tragedy struck in 1981 during a family holiday in Galway when Gerry was drowned while swimming in the sea with the children. Noreen faced this tragedy with great courage and after her husband had been laid to rest in Kilnoe with her late parents she had to get on with life and raise her three sons.They decided to relocate to Galway where Noreen worked hard to give her sons every chance in life and where she lived for the rest of her own life. She loved her neighbourhood in Mervue and she made lasting friendships there. Noreen’s faith and great courage helped her through trials and suffering especially in recent times and in the end she was able to plan her own funeral, choosing the readings and also the hymns which she wanted the parish choir to sing.
Dean, Sean , Gerard and Noreen’s neighbour and friend Noel shouldered the coffin into Kilnoe Cemetery after the Mass and Noreen was laid to rest in the shade of the blossoming whitethorn tree beside her beloved Gerry, her sister Mena and her parents Michael and Katie. The sun shone as Noreen’s sons, grandchildren,daughter-in-law Nicola, brother Micheal, sister-in-law Lilly, niece , nephews and friends gathered around the covered grave, now adorned with white roses, to say their final farewells to a wonderful lady.
Fr Donagh had quoted from a poem by Padraig Daly during his homily in the church in Bodyke and the words now seemed very appropriate as we stood around in quiet thought in Kilnoe:
“I feel no anger at your death,
flailing and floundering though I am in loss,
More an upsurge of gratitude for the way you blessed us.
We have known the beauty of Autumn and settle
into Winter with harvest of rich apples.”