Lee, Billy
December 03, 2013He was nursed and cared for at home in Temple Grange, Baltinglass, Co. Wicklow before he passed away, peacefully, in the company of his family. He was a man with many interests, including football, hurling, music and dancing and, indeed, he lived his long life to the full.
He grew up in a large family in the village of Templetuohy, Co Tipperary. After being educated locally, he joined the ESB in the early 1950s for the electrification of rural Ireland, a job that trained him as an electrician and an organisation in which he forged friendships that lasted a lifetime. The work eventually brought him to Dunlavin, Co Wicklow and it was there, in 1956, that Billy happened to attend a marquee dance. He met a young woman called Anne Leigh, a nurse from nearby Grangecon and danced the whole night with her.
After a whirlwind romance, Billy and Anne married the following year and the couple moved to Durrow, Co. Laois.
They lived there until 1960 when they returned to Anne's home village of Grangecon so that she could take care of her invalided father in 1960. Billy made the decision, two years later, to open his own business and so set up his first shop on Main Street, Baltinglass in 1962. He quickly adapted to being a businessman and, over the years, his shop widened the range of goods that he sold. From electrical goods, to bicycles, to Waterford crystal to televisions, radios and stereos, Billy's shop was the first port of call for many of the residents in Baltinglass and way beyond.
In 1970, Billy and Anne made one final move and the whole Lee family transferred the few miles from Grangecon to Baltinglass. At that stage, Billy and Anne had seven children, Joan, Mary, Deirdre, Pat, Aine, Elizabeth and Liam, and in 1971 their eight child, Julie arrived.
Billy's business continued to expand during the 1970s, especially when it incorporated the installation of water pumps for the land commission and the installation and servicing of milking parlous for Alfa Laval.
Over the years, generations of young men did their apprenticeships as electricians, plumbers and television technicians with Billy. He also helped people set up their own businesses, giving sound advice and passing on key business contacts and skills. At his funeral service, it was particularly touching for the Lee family to hear how many people Billy gave "a start in life."
But even though he was busy in business, he dedicated as much time and interest in his children. He encouraged each of them to pursue their own interests and careers and to do their very best in life. Billy was always there to give that pivotal piece of advice when they needed it and he continued in that role when his 19 grandchildren came into his life. At home, as in work, he was known as "The Bossman", a title he held until the end.
He was a man with great energy and poured himself wholeheartedly into whatever hobby or project in which he was involved.
One of the key projects he was involved with from the start was the West Wicklow Day Care Centre in Baltinglass. He was instrumental in its setting up and held the posts of chairman and treasurer. Indeed, he served on the committee from day one and only reluctantly retired in 2010 at the age of 81.
His biggest pastime was golf and he was a member of Baltinglass Golf Club from his early days in the town. He served as captain in 1974 and president in 1994 and won many prizes throughout the years, including the Barton Cup in 1974 and 1993. Billy also managed the JB Carr team that won the Wicklow section of that competition in 1997. A trip up to the club just weeks before he passed away was very special for the Lee family. Billy had been invited back for a gathering of past club officials and when he walked through the doors of the clubhouse he was greeted as warmly and with such respect it was as if he never retired from playing.
Although he established himself in Baltinglass, he was a Tipperary man to the core. He never forgot where he came from and his love of hurling seemed to get only more fervent as the years went by.
Even during his early days in Co. Wicklow, he started to promote the game and played for the Baltinglass team that won the championship in 1967. In the same year, Wicklow went on to reach four All-Ireland finals and won two, when Billy was a selector.
One of the many highlights for Billy was when Wicklow was invited to play London in Wembley stadium, the first and only time the junior All-Ireland champions were invited to do so.
In the early 1970s, Billy sponsored the Lee Cup competition in the schools' league, a competition that helped Kiltegan win eight SHC titles. But probably the biggest honour for Billy came in 2010.
His beloved Tipp beat old rivals Kilkenny that year, but Billy had been too ill to attend the game. In a case of the mountain coming to Mohammed, Billy's neighbour, Mary Hayes, a Thurles woman herself, organised for the McCarthy Cup to visit the Lee's house in Baltinglass. Every Tipp fan for miles around, and indeed, every hurling fan in general, came to pay homage to the cup and to discuss the final game at length.
Billy's other interest was in music and dancing, a love that he shared with Anne. The pair of them were regular fixtures on any dance floor at various dinner dances and parties throughout the years. When he was a younger man he used his skills as an electrician to set up the PAs at functions in the local Fatima Hall, and at every other field day, school concert or gymkhana around. He was also the drummer in a band called The Squares, an outfit that performed at pantomimes and variety shows.
At his removal service in St Joseph's Church, Baltinglass, his grandchildren paid tribute to Billy, before which, a guard of honour was formed by members of Baltinglass Golf Club. He was laid to rest on Friday 25 October in the local cemetery beside his beloved wife Anne, who passed away on 17 November 2011. Their family like to think of the pair of them together again, dancing away up there in heaven ...
The Nationalist, 3rd December 2013 Tweet
