Mrs Doreen Caskey was called home to be with Christ on 21st November. Doreen was saved as a young girl of 18 years. Our dear sister was widowed for 25 years and soon after her husband's departure to be with Christ her daughter Aileen had a serious accident and needed constant care. Doreen quietly and lovingly attending for Aileen's needs right up to the point when the Lord took her to be with Himself. She coped with these heartbreaks and followed the Lord faithfully, depending upon His help in all her trials. God had blessed Doreen and her husband David with two other daughters and a son and she was a devoted mother and caring grandmother to her three grandchildren. She was not able to attend the assembly meetings in Coleraine as often as she would have desired as home and family duties had to be attended to. She was a quiet and godly sister and one that loved the Lord and the Scriptures. Her very large funeral bore testimony to the high esteem in which she was held. Her funeral service was conducted by J Lennox, J Stewart, J Verner and J Rogers. Prayer requested for her family.
Mrs Ethel Florence deVille (née Kirby), aged 76, was called home on 13th July, after a severe illness borne with Christian fortitude which bore testimony to her deep faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Although not from a Christian home, as a youngster Ethel attended Oxford Hall assembly in the Waterloo district of Liverpool. She trusted the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation in her mid-teens. Nursing and midwifery brought her up to the Glasgow area, where she met her husband Len. They were married in 1965, and received into assembly fellowship in Paisley. As well as raising four children, they extended the blessing of a sound Christian home by fostering two boys and one girl while in Barrhead. Ethel was a true help-meet, a very practical lady, caring devotedly for her children and grandchildren. Active in assembly life, supporting Len in his work as an elder in their last sixteen years in Tayport, she was given to hospitality and visitation of the saints. Ethel epitomised in many ways the words of Proverbs 31.10ff. She is greatly missed by the Tayport assembly and by her family.
Mrs Beatrice McCall, aged 94, was called home suddenly on 3rd September. She was saved in September, 1955, following a Gospel Campaign in Newton Mearns, conducted by the late Arthur Gooding of Kilmarnock. Beatrice, Willie, and their son Ian, then started to attend Shuttle Street Hall in Paisley, where both she and Willie were baptised in November, 1955 and received into fellowship. During the next 20 years they brought the gospel to elderly patients in hospital, supported the Lord's servants, and showed hospitality to the believers. In 1975, Beatrice and her family relocated to Hope Hall, Bridge of Weir, before retiring to Ayr in 1981. They joined the assembly at Woodpark, but finally settled in the Gospel Hall, Prestwick Road. After Willie's homecall in 2006, Beatrice, a great personal worker, continued witnessing to the unsaved. She will be greatly missed and prayer is requested for her family, Ian, Linda and Justin.
Mrs Martha McCrea, aged 89 years, was called home on 20th October, after a short illness. She was saved on 21st December, 1942 and was later baptised and received into fellowship at Tullynure assembly near Cookstown. She came to reside in Cookstown after she married Samuel and they have been members in the Cookstown assembly ever since, serving the Lord faithfully in all aspects of assembly life. Martha was particularly interested in missionary work and visitation of the elderly and the sick. A large number of people attended the funeral service in Cookstown Gospel Hall, showing the high esteem in which she was held. The funeral services were conducted by W Taylor and R Nelson. Martha is survived by her husband Samuel, son Ronald and daughter June, with their families.
Mrs Mary Moore, aged 81, was called home on Lord's Day, 2nd November. She was saved in 1965, one of quite a number during Gospel Meetings in Kirlish Orange Hall conducted by W J Nesbitt and R Armstrong. She was received into the Kilmore assembly (Co. Tyrone) and had the joy of seeing her late husband, Robert, and one of her sons, Kenneth, saved in the following years. Prayer would be much appreciated for her other son, James, and some in the wider family circle who still linger without Christ. More recent years brought Mary various health complications with associated pain and limitation which she bore with remarkable calm. The toils, tears and trials of her life have been replaced with "pleasures for evermore" (Ps 16.11). The funeral services were carried out by brethren W J Nesbitt and D McGarvey. A goodly company from the surrounding country district heard words of warmth, welcome and warning from the Scriptures.
Mr Adam (Addie) Palmer was called home to be with Christ on 1st December. Our dear brother was saved on 25th September, 1958 when attending Gospel Meetings in New Road Gospel Hall, Portavogie conducted by Mr H Paisley and Mr Campbell. Addie was a quiet, reserved man who loved the sea and was very hard working all his life. He was in the assembly in New Road for many years, being received into fellowship soon after his conversion. He loved the gospel and always enjoyed hearing it preached. Sadly, during the last months of his life he suffered quite a lot, his body being marked with much weakness. Through all his illness he had a remarkable peace and contentment, never complaining and knowing that the Saviour whom he had trusted many years previously would be with him until he would be laid down gently and taken to be with Him. He enjoyed the truth of the hymn as he sang Blessed Assurance Jesus Is Mine, just a short a short time before his homecall. His large funeral was evidence of how highly he was esteemed. His funeral service was conducted by L Donnan, R McCoubrey, B Kelly, P Warnock, and J Rogers.
Mrs Madge Robinson, aged 91, was called home on 27th April. She was saved as a young girl through the preaching of Mr Robert Watson and Mr Fred English at meetings conducted at Ashfield. She was later received into fellowship in the Mullafernaghan assembly. Then after her marriage to Billy Robinson she was in fellowship in the Kilmore (Co Down) assembly. For the last forty years she and her husband have been valued members of the Waringstown assembly. The funeral was conducted by brethren J Watson and R Pickering.
