FOUHY, John Francis. Peacefully at Pahiatua on 11th December 2008. In his 98th year. Loving and dearly loved husband of the late Winifred and Father and Father in law of Mary (deceased), Brian and Colleen (Taradale). Barbara (Tauranga), Anne (Warkworth), Chris and Lynda (Waipukurau), Michael and Anne (Pahiatua), Denise and John Green (Tauranga) and Maureen and Michael Strong (Palmerston North). Loved grandfather and great grandfather of his 16 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren. Loved brother of the late Bill, Con and Ed; Molly (Sydney), Pat (Marima) and Helena (Pahiatua). In lieu of flowers, donations to the Friends of Waireka, C/- Waireka Home, Halls Road, Pahiatua would be appreciated and may be left at the service. Requiem Mass for John will be celebrated at St Brigid’s Catholic Church, Wakeman Street, Pahiatua on Monday 15th December 2008 at 11am, followed by Burial at Mangatainoka Cemetery. Vigil service will be held in the Church on Sunday evening 14th December at 7pm. Messages to the Fouhy family C/- P.O. Box 185, Carterton 5743 or can be left in John’s tribute page below
Richmond Funeral Home,(Peter & Jenny Giddens) Carterton, FDANZ

Eulogy
Not a bad innings. A pretty good innings. These expressions seem to be the general consensus for the headline for the story Dad’s life. 97! Definitely a good innings. Run out on 97! I’m sure Dad would quite enjoy this analogy, as he was quite an avid follower of cricket. I can remember him listening on an old staticy, whistling, humming valve radio to a cricket test match somewhere in the world. Sir Donald Bradman was something of a hero to Dad. Dad was a great reader and among other things he read a lot about Bradman and his exploits.
As a matter of interest, I think this is about the third time Dad is supposed to have died. The first time was in the late 1980s. He was checking in to Palmerston North hospital and the woman at the desk asked if he had ever been in that institution before. “No” was the reply. “Have you ever had a heart attack?” “No”. “Are you sure?” “Yes”. “But the computer says you have had a heart attack”. “Well, the computer is wrong”. Eventually, Dad was allowed to look at the computer screen and he had great delight in telling the woman that the computer was definitely wrong. “The person the computer is referring to is now dead and I am very much alive! I think!”
The next time was some years later when one of his best friends, a neighbour from Otorohanga, had died. The funeral director asked for a photo of Paddy and was given a photo of Paddy and Dad together. The funeral leaflet comes out with a photo on the front cover. Unfortunately, the photo was of John Fouhy, not Paddy McGinity. Now that’s a different spin on laying down your life for your friend! Dad loved a good joke and this one really tickled his fancy.
So who was Dad? John Francis Fouhy! Born quite a good while ago. In fact, it was early last century! He was born and reared at Marima, of pioneering farming stock. As a direct result of his parentage and his heritage he became, and remained to his dying day, deeply interested in the land and spent a large part of his life farming. He started out working on his Father’s farm, did shearing around the Pahiatua area for a few years. He went to work in Hawkes Bay for a while, and up around Tutira. All of these situations gave rise to many a good yarn, which Dad loved to tell, even in the last weeks and months of his life. Story telling has been something of a Fouhy trait, but maybe that has gone with his passing! Who knows?
John married Winifred Margaret Cleary, also of farming stock, from Meeanee in Hawkes Bay. He took his new bride to an undeveloped farm at Otorohanga, where they bore a family of eight children, seven of whom are here today, Mary having died in infancy. These were hard times, yet we apparently didn’t starve to death.
While on this farm, Dad met a thoroughbred breeder by the name of Jack Mackey. At one stage, Jack ran out of feed on his stud farm and Dad ended up grazing a couple of broodmares for him. This began a lifelong interest in racing for Dad. One item of memorabilia we have here with Dad today is a photo of him with his horse Cracksman after winning the Great Northern Derby. Dad had worked with horses all his life till he gave up farming due to a health problem, so the world of thoroughbreds was a wonderful new interest for him.
Having left the farm, this new world of racing opened up a whole new raft of challenges, which allowed him to use the huge mental capacity that God blessed him with. His ability to handle arithmetical figures was quite astonishing to most who saw what he did with regard to racing matters in particular.
Dad lived through two World Wars as well as the slump or the depression and through all of these he learnt the value of money and how to look after that and himself. This is an illustration of one of his main strengths. He was always totally honest and he could not, would not stand for anyone trying to swindle him or anyone else.
Something that many people will not be aware of is that had things panned out a little differently, he would have been a lawyer by choice. His appreciation of justice was mighty and his ability to see that justice was served, impressive. There are a number of people, some of them present here today, who were the beneficiaries of this ability. He would accept no payment for helping these people other than the satisfaction of a job well done.
Therein, I think, lies the heart of the man. He was generous almost to a fault in helping people and in his humility he never went seeking any praise for his efforts.
Dad was an explorer of sorts and in the early 1970s, he “discovered” Australia. In fact, I think he may have discovered Australia much earlier through books. He was big on reading and he loved poetry among other things. John O’Brien Henry Lawson and Banjo Patterson were some of his favourite authors of poetry. Over the last few months, some of the staff at Waireka, particularly those he grew very fond of, were occasionally treated to recitations. He knew a good number of these lengthy poems off by heart. And some of the WINZ or Support Links people thought his memory was going! He treated these people with some disdain, simply because he couldn’t stand their brand of idiotic bureaucracy. Bureaucrats in general were fair game for Dad. He believed that the only degree anybody ever needed was a degree of common sense, and he had a master’s degree.
Now, there is some doubt as to just when Dad will arrive at the Pearly Gates. This is not because he was not a good person. It is simply that he is likely to take a detour. If he sees something he has not seen before, he will probably turn off on a side road to go exploring. I hope St. Peter has lots of patience.

Things Dad hated: He hated funerals. He hated bureaucrats and idiots, in whatever form they came.
Things Dad loved: He loved his wife. He loved his family. He loved a good practical joke. He loved the land. He loved horses. He loved a game of cards. He loved to read the newspaper. He would read the Dominion from cover to cover. He would do all the puzzles. He would read the death notices. He said he was looking to see if his was there.
Sadly Dad, you didn’t live to see your own death notice, so we have placed a copy here for you to take with you.

Service Information: Date: Time: Location: 15/12/2008 11:00 a.m. St Brigid's Catholic Church Wakeman Street Pahiatua