The village of Littleton is facing into a very difficult time as the community comes to terms with the death of a father and son in a house fire.
Stephen Lee and his son John perished when Stephen’s home at McDonagh Terrace caught fire in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The family had been taking turns each night to stay with Stephen who was in his 80s.
Parish Priest Fr Thomas Fogarty says Stephen and John were much loved in Littleton.
“They were deeply and greatly admired in the community. They were really lovely people I actually met Stephen a little over 24 hours before the accident. His daughter Karen was dropping him down to the graveyard to visit his late wife Mary. I used to meet him quite regularly – just a lovely man. A gentle smile, deep sincerity and a really unassuming personality. He endeared himself to everybody in the locality. It’s just so sad.”
Fr Fogarty say the local community in Littleton will continue to rally around the Lee family.
“Irish people are very good as you know for rallying around when a crisis arrives and they certainly have pulled out all the stops here and I know they will continue to do so. But its still extremely sad because not only has a family lost a father, they’ve lost a brother as well and as you know Christmas is a time when people make a genuine effort to come home. It’s a great family occasion and its just so sad. There’s never a good time for this but particularly at this time of year it makes it more difficult.”
