Streamstown and Altamount Street, Westport
As previously reported in The Mayo News the sad death of Mrs Colette O’Brien, Streamstown and Altamount Street, Westport, took place on April 1. With her passing Westport lost one of its best known and most enterprising business women. She passed away peacefully in the loving care of her family having suffered illness over a short period. For fifty-five years Colette was a familiar presence in Westport as she ran her businesses on Altamount Street and most recently on Shop Street. Colette worked in her beloved shop on Shop Street right up until last October when illness began to take hold. Colette (nee Hurst) was born in the Clooneen Mill just outside Balinrobe and she retained strong links to her homestead all through the years. After attending school in Balla, she spent some time in Coventry where she joined family members and trained as a lab technician. She returned home and shortly afterwards married the love of her life John O’Brien .
Colette had many great attributes but her greatest gift was the way she could reach out to people with a kind word or gesture. She had a way of making connections with people and forged many lifelong friendships following a brief encounter. It was often joked about how a random stranger who came in to the shop was a long lost relative when leaving, as Colette would engage with her customers, find out where they were from, who they knew that she knew and finally she would discover the link and this is how friendships were formed. Colette was a great “people person” and kept in touch with friends through a well crafted letter, an appropriate card and by telephone.
Colette and John lovingly reared a family of eight children, four daughters and four sons who bore twenty one grandchildren all of whom were encouraged and cherished by her. She always remembered birthdays, anniversaries and achievements and as a good granny her fridge was always stocked with ice-cream. Colette had a talent for gathering people together. Her home was always welcoming and no one could leave without sharing a drink of tea or something stronger if the occasion demanded. She often worked the miracle of the loaves and fishes dividing up dinners and firing up the oven for unexpected visitors to ensure everyone was fed. She thought nothing of feeding up to thirty people at a time.
Colette loved being in company and was an active member of the Bridge Club, Legion of Mary and Active Retirement Association where she made many friends. Members of those groups turned out in large numbers at her funeral to form a Guard of Honour for Colette along James’ Street and on the Mall.
In recent years Colette’s health deteriorated but despite this, she continued to take part in all her favourite activities. However in the last few months, she began to lose the battle and her family came to realise in her last days that she might not recover. Colette however bore this illness with characteristic optimism and remained stoic until the end. The people of Westport and beyond turned out in huge numbers to pay their respects to Colette. For many hours the friends and relatives filed in bright sunshine at her home in Streamstown and again at St Mary’s Church in Westport in order to sympathise and reflect the regard in which she was held. Removal from her home was followed by Mass on arrival at St Mary’s Church where Fr Charlie McDonnell officiated at the reception ceremony and Mass was concelebrated with Fr Niall Ahern. In a poignant and sometimes humorous homily Fr Charlie admired the way Colette created a loving and welcoming home and he encouraged the mourners to accept the sadness knowing that one day this will pass and we will all be reunited. Grandchildren and family members sang, read the lessons, read prayers of the faithful and brought symbols reflective of Colette’s life to the altar along with the offertory gifts. In the eulogy given by her son, Michael, tribute was paid to Colette’s rich and fulfilled life and the positive way she engaged with her community. She gave expression to her deep faith in the way she showed empathy and kindness to those she met. His words fittingly described a person who cared for those around her and could use a word or a smile to great effect. Colette was laid to rest in the family grave in Aughavale cemetery.
She was predeceased by her son John and survived by her beloved husband John , daughters Mary, Deirdre, Christine and Patricia, sons David, Michael and Conor, sister Chrissie (Coventry), sister-in-law Ann, sons-in-law Frank, Aidan, Kieran and Damien, daughters-in-law Darina, Barbara, Bríd and Susan and grandchildren and many friends. Peaceful rest to her gentle and caring soul.
“A word or a smile is often enough to put fresh life in a despondent soul”
- Thérése of Lisieux.
