The late Gerald (Gerry) Lennon was remembered as a warm, witty and deeply devoted family man at his funeral service in St Paul’s Church in Lurgan, where his son, former Celtic player and manager Neil Lennon, fought back tears as he paid an emotional tribute to his father whom he had a special relationship with.
Speaking before family, friends and mourners, Neil reflected on the life lessons his father had given him, describing Gerry as “a human radiator” whose warmth drew people towards him.
He recalled seeking advice from his dad at the age of 16 while chasing his footballing dream.
“He said two things that always stayed with me,” Neil told the congregation. “One was that as you go through life, you’ll have three very good friends….he was right. The other was to treat people the way you want to be treated yourself. I think that’s how dad lived his life.”
Neil spoke of his father’s generosity with his time, humour and hospitality, and of a sharp wit laced with sarcasm that was never far from the surface.
He shared a story that drew smiles and laughter in the church, recalling how Gerry once quipped that while he did not cry on his wedding day, he did so “every day after”.
“He had a long, beautiful marriage to mum,” Neil said. “They had three beautiful daughters – and me. He taught us good values, manners, respect and love.
“Me and dad got on great. He was my mentor, disciplinarian, best friend, always a phone call away. He kicked every ball, watched every game and decided after every match that nothing was ever my fault.”
Gerry’s passion for sport was a constant throughout his life, with Neil recalling long conversations analysing matches, and his father’s love of football, chess, GAA and later golf, which he discovered through the Clann Éireann society.
Social connection was central to his happiness, Neil said, from weekends away with friends to simply being part of a group.
As life went on, Gerry took great joy in his grandchildren, a time when, Neil said, “he mellowed and life was good”.
He cherished his daily routines, drives to Lough Neagh, and the familiar comfort of a whiskey at 4pm. “Job done,” Neil said, fighting back the tears, adding that those were the same words his father used when he rang to say he had been appointed Celtic manager – followed by “lovely jubbly”.
In the final 18 months of his life, Gerry lived with Alzheimer’s disease and was cared for at Orchard Lodge Care Home in Armagh. Neil paid tribute to the staff there, saying they treated his father “with great respect and dignity”, and reserved special thanks for Orla, Charlene, Lucy and Amber for the compassion shown to his family.
“Thanks dad,” Neil concluded. “For a life well lived and a life well loved. We will miss you.”
During the Requiem Mass, the parish priest also reflected on Gerry’s life, telling mourners he was born in Derrycrow in 1943 to parents Jean and Frank.
Clever at school, a gifted reader and artist, Gerry left school at 14 to work as a laundry courier before later becoming a lorry driver and spending years working in England with Vauxhall. He eventually returned home to Lurgan, where he worked as a factory foreman.
The priest recalled how Gerry met the love of his life, Ursula, at a dance when he was 24, saying that Gerry once described their first dance as a moment when “everyone else simply disappeared”. Together they built a family with their four children, Orla, Neil, Jane and Aileen.
“He lived for his family,” the priest said, noting Gerry’s especially close bond with Neil and his deep involvement in his son’s career. He described Gerry as “a man’s man”, full of charisma, the life and soul of every social occasion, and someone who woke each morning in good spirits – joking that “the only thing to put him in a bad mood was other people”.
Even in illness, Gerry’s humour endured, the priest said, as he continued joking and thanking nurses and carers despite being in distress. He also reflected on the enduring love between Gerry and Ursula, noting that due to Gerry’s dementia he was spared much of the pain of knowing of her passing.
“But now,” he said, “we can be sure they are together again, and there is much happiness in heaven with two beautiful, loving people reunited for eternity.”
