St Mary's Primary School says Farewell to a much Loved Friend and Colleague.

The community of St Mary’s Primary School, Banbridge, was shocked and deeply saddened by the sudden passing of their much esteemed colleague and friend, Mr Timothy Doyle. Timothy dedicated thirty years of his life to the teaching profession. Timothy shared his expertise and wealth of knowledge with pupils, teachers and parents.

He had a passion for Mathematics and imparted a love of this subject to all who had the privilege of knowing him. It was this love of Numeracy that led Timothy to establish Maths Improvement NI, a programme to support good practice in the teaching of maths. This was disseminated throughout many schools in Northern Ireland with great success.

Timothy had a true love for children and had their best interests at heart. He was able to engage easily with his pupils and use his many talents to help them reach their full potential. His unique sense of humour and fun was shared and enjoyed by the children of St Mary’s. Timothy instilled in his pupils many of the values that he held dear; respect, good manners, fairness, courtesy and decency, to name a few!

Timothy was an avid supporter of Gaelic Games. He was an enthusiastic GAA coach in St Mary’s Primary School and loved the success his teams achieved at school and county level. Alongside Clann Na Banna, he established the “Gaelic League” in 1991; its legacy continues today. Due to his influence and encouragement, many of our children were attracted to Gaelic games, who otherwise may not have been.

Timothy left a lasting impression upon all those who made his acquaintance, in both his personal and professional life. His warmth, sense of humour and charm endeared him to everyone. He was a true gentleman with a kind and caring heart; he loved people and people loved him. He had the talent of making others feel at ease and his cheery outlook and cheeky wit, uplifted the spirits of all those he met.

Timothy treated everybody with the utmost respect and dignity; he made time for everyone and was undoubtedly the ‘life and soul’ of many a school outing and staff celebration; his presence will be greatly missed. Timothy’s colleagues and friends cherish fond memories of the ‘yarns’ and the ‘craic’ they shared together. His circle of friendships was wide and far reaching. Timothy was an inspiration to us all, we feel truly blessed that Timothy graced all of our lives and left such a lasting and positive effect on us and our outlook on life.

Timothy…. You will be forever in our hearts.

“He kept at true good humour’s mark, the social flow of pleasure’s tide. He never made a brow look dark, nor caused a tear, but when he died.”