Ted lived a full and wonderful life

Con Dennehy (left) pays tribute to 2017 Kerry Person of the Year Ted Moynihan, a man who devoted so much of his life to fundraising for Kerry Hospice and to fundraising for the cause, who passed away this Thursday

THE death has occurred of 2017 Kerry Person of the Year and Kerry Hospice founder, Ted Moynihan.

He passed away this Thursday morning in the tender care of staff at the new palliative care in-patient unit at University Hospital Kerry, in the presence of his heartbroken family.

Despite being diagnosed with cancer in 1983 and again in 2015, Ted, from Marian Park, Tralee, had been the motivation behind the formation of the Kerry Hospice Foundation. He also co-ordinated the establishment of more than 20 branches of the Kerry Hospice Foundation and 18 branches are still in existence.

Ted was honoured with the prestigious Kerry Person of the Year award last year.
Picture: Con Dennehy

Born in Blennerville, Ted was employed initially at the Tralee Boot Factory for nine years before it was gutted by fire in 1959. He subsequently took up employment during the construction of the Castelrosse Hotel in Killarney and also worked as a bus conductor with CIE, from 1960 to 1963.

He later worked as a driver for Kerry Petroleumm servicing the South Kerry route. From 1982 to 1987, he worked with Jason Products in Tralee and was employed with the US textile company, Klopman in Tralee from 1987 to 1997. Ted was a dedicated and loyal member of the FCA for more than 43 years, reaching the rank of Sergeant Major.
He married Breda Foley from Marian Park, Tralee, in 1964 and the couple have two sons, Teddy and Simon and four grandchildren Chloe, Jade, Simon and Blathnaid.

In February 1990, a conference held in Ballymullen Army Barracks in Tralee announced that the 15th Battalion of the FCA was to undertake a 150-mile sponsored walk, that included the Ring of Kerry, with the proceeds going to Baile Mhuire Tralee and the Kerry Cancer Support Group. This prompted Ted to establish a Hospice movement in Kerry, along with Dr Tom McCormack of Tralee General Hospital.

The late Ted Moynihan

Ted was the chairman of the Tralee branch of Hospice for the past 28 years and he also served as the Kerry Hospice Foundation chairman for 25 years, during which time he helped raise more than €11 million in fundraising initiatives.
He won the 2010 All-Ireland Volunteer Award, he was accorded a civic reception by Tralee Town Council and, later, Tralee Municipal District Council he was grand marshal of the Tralee St Patrick’s Day parade in 2011. He was named Kerry Person of the Year in 2017 and was honoured at a gala function in Dublin.

Ted was actively involved in the Tralee Footwear and FCA basketball teams in the 1950’s, Kerins O’Rahilly’s GAA Club, Tralee Light Opera Society and as stage manager for Showboat which starred the late Jack Cruise. He was chairman of Marian Park Residents’ Association in late 1960s and also chairman of Marian Park Community Games. In addition, Ted was a founding member of Tralee Bay Sea Angling Club.

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