Family and Photos
After working 25 years as head gardener for the Richardson family at Moyallon House, John retired from garden management, and he and his family moved to Oakwood Place in the Brownstown estate in Portadown.
When their children were married and had left home, they then moved to a two-bedroomed apartment in Selsion Parade, Corcrain Estate, Portadown where they finished out their days.
Grandad, of course, didn't actually retire when he finished working for the Richardsons; he spent another 20 years as caretaker of St. Columba's church in Portadown! Also, according to a comment in one of his death notices, he ran a small market gardening business for a while.
Jean, Nanny Eccles and Anne
John and Margaret Elizabeth had five children; Jack, Baillie, twins Stanley and Jean, and Anne (with an 'e'!)
Jack and Baillie married two sisters, Joan and Beulah Culbert from Gilford. Stanley married Doris, and Anne married Norman Briggs. Jean remained with her mum and dad and cared for them until they passed away, and then she married her patient, long-time suitor, James Mallagh.
Anne, Bailie and Jean
John Eccles, with his daughter Jean and my oldest son, Peter Briggs. It was the last photograph that I took of Grandad (Spring 1980), just a couple of months before he died.
John Eccles MM
John Eccles had an amazing life filled with a wide variety of experiences. After surviving the horrors of trench warfare in the First World War, he returned from Europe to marry his sweetheart and start a family. John and Elizabeth Margaret had five children and eighteen grandchildren. From those offspring, there are now scores of their descendants living in many different parts of the world.
Grandad was a man of few words but his gentle and unassuming way spoke volumes to those who knew him. There's a verse in Isaiah that says: In quietness and in confidence shall be thy strength, (Is 30.15). Grandad exuded that quiet confidence in God's love and care throughout his life.
My mum, Anne, adored her dad and she used to quote him regularly. One of his favourite sayings was quite an unusual one, a phrase from the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible that says: 'vanity, vanity, all is vanity.'
Grandad was not a negative person, at all. Quite the contrary, his cheerful disposition brightened every room he entered, but he had seen enough of life to realise that everything was transient. Rich or poor, unknown or famous, healthy or sick, it didn't matter; we are all equal, and temporal things are of little real consequence as we go through life.
The word vanity means 'a vapour' or 'whiff of smoke'. John Eccles had observed the opulence and comfort of the rich and famous and had also experienced the hardships and squalor of the trenches in Flanders and France, and he knew that there was more to life than wealth or possessions.
He spent his life serving others. Whether it was working for Lords, ladies, rich farmers or businessmen, or with his comrades in far-flung battlefields, or sweeping dusty floors in church halls, he displayed faithfulness to the task before him, whatever and wherever it was. He had time for people and always spoke with kindness and with grace.
He was ambitious in a good sense, not satisfied with the status quo, but was eager to grow in skills and knowledge, and in serving others. The enthusiastic references that he received from numerous employers are a testimony to his attitude and abilities, and the values with which he lived his life. He exuded humility and hard word in everything he did.
His life was guided by a simple belief in and obedience to the teachings of the Bible. He trusted the Lord Jesus as his Saviour when he was a young man and considered himself to be an evangelical Christian. To the very end of his life he was a witness and testimony to the grace and power of the Gospel of Christ.
He particularly enjoyed reading the weekly magazine, The Friend produced by the Quakers. He may have fought in two world wars, but he was a gentle, peaceful person who had a very positive impact on all those around him.
I count it an enormous privilege to be one of the grandsons of Mr. John Eccles MM.
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