So very sorry to receive the news that Joe passed away on Monday morning March 19 and I immediately advised our family Joseph, Patrick, Kathleen and Deborah who now all send their condolences.. Joe and his brother Tom were our Father Patrick's cousins, but I always called Joe, Uncle Joe. No matter how much you think you are prepared for someone's death you never are. We are holding Tom and his family, Patricia, Claire and Peter; and all his grandchildren in our hearts. I know they will stick together and look after each other. Patricia told me that Laura was being lifted off her ship by helicopter so that she could make the funeral, which is marvelous. I was lucky enough to stay with Laura last summer as Joe couldn't have me stay with him, but we spent lots of happy times together talking and visiting other members of the Monahan family. As usual when Kathleen and husband Terry and I were over to see him, he liked nothing better than showing us around his beloved Belfast and surrounding country. He spent many years without his beloved Yvonne and often told me how much he appreciated his sister-in-law, Betty, and how well she looked after the children. Its always very hard to know what to say at a time like this. Unfortunalely, we are too far away to get to the funeral so we will offer up a mass in memory of Joe and pray to God that he has gone straight to heaven. Many of you will laugh at that, but as I think that God is all forgiving there is nothing that would prevent Joe from waiting for each of us and I will picture him dancing as he always loved to do while he waits for us to join him.
Friday 23 March 2018
Anne Monahan, Canada