ON Saturday, June 28, Kilmore parish lost its oldest parishioner when Rose Bernadette Savage passed away in her 98th year.
The tenth of 12 children of Patrick and Ellen Savage, Rose had five brothers, Pat, Tommy, John, John Chrysostom, and Eddie, and six sisters, Mary, Ellen-Jane, Annie, Sadie, Winifred and Josephine.
As a young adult she travelled daily by train to her work in Belfast returning home to Woodside, Crossgar to help nurse two elderly aunts, MaryAnn and Sarah. Afterwards she continued to care for her elderly parents and siblings.
Along with her busy caring responsibilities, Rose helped on the family farm. She cooked the meals for the family, visitors and neighbours who lent a hand with the harvesting, baked bread daily, churned buttermilk and supplied villagers with her country butter — her soda bread, country butter and home-made jam were hard to resist.
She was an avid reader with a keen interest in current affairs. An experienced gardener she knew the botanical name of most plants and grew a wide variety of vegetables and fruit which she cooked and preserved into jams and chutneys.
She also enjoyed a game of whist and rummy with other family members.
Blessed with a remarkable memory and having lived in Crossgar all her life, she loved nothing better than to share her knowledge of the village history and help those researching their family trees.
Devoting all of her adult life unconditionally to the welfare and care of others, Rose was, indeed, a remarkable, feisty, strong but modest lady.
She was the matriarch of the five generations of the Savage family and will be very much missed by Pidge her sister-in-law, her nephews and nieces, a large family circle and close friends.
It is indeed the end of an era for the Savage family and Kilmore parish.