Bobby Elwood
Who I Was.
Robert (Bobby) Elwood was born on 18th April 1932 in Colin, just outside Lisburn; the middle of three brothers; James & Norman and 5 sisters; May, Lily, Molly, Jean & Emily. In his early youth he; along with his sisters & brothers; assisted his mother Agnes with the “War Effort” in the family greengrocers in Dunmurry village preparing food deliveries; whilst his father, James, (who owned the only motorised vehicle in the whole area) travelled into Belfast every day to fetch the groceries fresh off the boat at the docks.
Bobby was educated locally in Stevenson’s School in Dunmurry; usually having to walk the 4 miles to & from Colin Mountain every day; and on leaving school at the age of 14, learned to drive and obtained qualifications as a motor mechanic; a much sought-after profession in a time when not every family owned a car. But eventually stemmed into the family business which by this time had several interests: A funeral furnishers, private taxi hire, filling station, mechanics garage & florists. By the mid 60’s the floristry end of the business had been closed but the other divisions continued to thrive. Bobby was just 12 years old when he assisted his father on a funeral for the first time!
Family holidays at the time were spent at a small street house in Bangor, Co. Down (that Bobby’s father had bought for £40.00) where about 8 children and two adults would spend a week or two sharing the space of two tiny rooms and a scullery. But they were happy, fun-filled holidays at the seaside.
As a young adult, Bobby met and fell in love with Daly at a dance on the Lisburn Road, in Belfast. They courted for a few years then married in September 1960 in St. Thomas’ Parish Church in Belfast, honeymooned in Blackpool, moved into their first home together in Glenariff Drive, Dunmurry and went on to have four children, Mark, Rodger, Esther & Brian. By the time the last of their children was born, the family had moved to Upper Dunmurry Lane; just a short walk from the family business.
Bobby worked hard to provide for his family and made sure that he spent as much time as possible with them in spite of working 10 to 12 hour days, every day! Weekly trips to Lisburn swimming pool or walks around Wallace Park and weekend trips to their caravan in Portrush were commonplace and Bobby very much enjoyed spending time with his family. Sunday dinners around the table with his family were always a special time for Bobby because his elderly father would often be there too.
Bobby was a “hands-on husband” and was always happy to do the DIY or repairs needed around the home. He was also keen to help Daly with the daily chores and had no problem vacuuming or generally keeping the house as tidy as possible. Daly ran a hairdressing business from the front room of their home so Bobby often met and enjoyed a joke or two with Daly’s many clients; ladies of a particular age who were having a perm or a shampoo & set done!
Bobby enjoyed “tinkering” in his garage and over the years had built many bicycles and go-karts for his children from the spare parts left behind in the family business.
Family holidays were always to Portrush to their caravan for three weeks during the school summer break although Bobby would occasionally have to return home to Dunmurry to assist with funeral work or the day-to-day running of the family firm.
Bobby was particularly fond of motorcycle racing and loved the North West 200 & Ulster Grand Prix Races. Bobby was a massive fan of the road racer Joey Dunlop and was very upset at Dunlop’s untimely death due to racing. This made Bobby very conscious for the safety of his two eldest sons who themselves owned motorbikes and he would often “check-in” on them to make sure they were riding safetly.
This passion for motorbikes spurred Bobby into making annual week-long trips with some friends each year to the Isle of Man TT Races; always staying at the familiar guesthouse and eating in the same familiar restaurants. Bobby's children always missed him when he was away but very much looked forward to the lovely gifts they would receive on his return.
Bobby & Daly did eventually manage some foreign holidays together as their children grew older; in such places as Majorca, Corfu & Canada (to visit a life-long friend of Daly). Although not a keen flyer, Bobby did “suffer” air travel on occasions just so that Daly & he could have a holiday abroad.
Bobby also loved country & western music and in particular the songs of Charley Pride. Although he never watched much television; other than the local news & weather; Bobby did enjoy the 80’s show “Hart To Hart” and was very pleased when the show made a return via the satellite channel Gold; and the classic gameshow Bullseye. Bobby also had a sweet tooth and was particularly fond of icecream.
After Bobby’s father James died in 1987, he and his two brothers agreed to sell the family business which by this time had been concentrated into just one interest: a Funeral Directors. Jim & Norman moved on to carry out their own plans, but Bobby stayed on to run the business as a locally named person for the new owners; an English conglomerate; assisted by his son Brian.
Tragedy struck the family in 1991 when Rodger (then 25) was killed by terrorists. So, following a family trip to Florida, (which their son Mark had managed to convince his parents they needed to take) Bobby made the decision to semi-retire from the funeral business to spend more time with Daly.
In 1992 they moved from their family home of over 30 years in Dunmurry to Belsize Park in Lisburn. Rodger had been killed very close to their family home in Dunmurry so it was felt both by Bobby & Daly that moving away from that scene would help to ease their grief in some way.
By this stage their 3 remaining children were already making their own way in the world (Although Esther & Brian did move with them to Lisburn) so the move was made easier by this fact.
They enjoyed their time together and Bobby was a loving & devoted husband & father and, by this stage, also a grandfather. Bobby & Daly would spend most weekends and long stages during the summer months at their caravan in Portrush; where they also enjoyed the company of friends in that region. Saturday nights in Portrush were usually spent at the British Legion Club.
The “funeral director” in Bobby meant that he always drove; and took great care of; prestigious cars. Over his lifetime he had many cars, all of which he took amazing care of. Even as his children began to drive their own cars, Bobby would make sure that those too were kept to a very high standard. No one would ever witness Bobby Elwood drive or be driven in a dirty vehicle and his own car was never put into the garage at the end of the day dirty or wet!
In 2005 Bobby was proud when Brian became an independent funeral director again and re-established the family name in a new business venture in Dunmurry but was unable to assist in the new business due to his ailing health caused by early-stage dementia and Parkinson’s Disease. He did however make regular trips to the office in Dunmurry and was always a welcome face for the bereaved clients who knew him.
By 2007 it had become evident that Bobby needed full-time specialist care so following a period of medical assessment and hospital care Daly had him placed into nursing care in a home in Lisburn where she would visit Bobby every-single-day!
Staff in home grew very fond of Bobby and enjoyed hearing him transgress into the “olden days” with his many stories from his youth. He was always smiling and still had his own teeth!
But Bobby’s illness began to consume him and eventually he became completely bed ridden and devoid of the ability to speak or eat unaided.
It was in the nursing home where Bobby eventually died peacefully with his wife & three remaining children by his side on 25th November 2010, leaving behind a wife, 3 children, 10 grandchildren & 2 step-grandchildren.
Bobby’s funeral was held in Dunmurry Presbyterian Church and he was cremated. His ashes are interred in the nearby Garden of Remembrance at St. Colman’s Parish Church along with his son Rodger’s. He is therefore laid to rest in his hometown.
Bobby Elwood will be very much missed but forever remembered & respected by all who had the pleasure of knowing or loving him. Bobby leaves behind a wonderful legacy within the Elwood family that will be difficult for his children or grandchildren to compete with.
This was one of Bobby Elwood’s Favourite songs