The son of a Co Fermanagh man, who died following an incident on Lough Melvin last summer, has paid tribute to his "absolutely fantastic dad" ahead of a memorial event next month.
Dad-of-six Peter Jones, from the village of Boho, tragically died on July 21 last year, leaving an irreplaceable hole in his family, workplace and community.
The 55-year-old was spending quality time with his family on a camping trip when he got into difficulty in the water.
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Peter married his wife, Martina, on July 14, 1990 in Boho, and the couple had six children – Leigh, 28, Nicola, 26, Nathan, 24, Naomi, 22, Aaron, 19, and 14-year-old Ronan.
Eldest son, Leigh, told Belfast Live: "It has been a tough time and now one year on, it does bring back a lot of tough memories from last year.
"We're a very close knit family and to mark dad's first anniversary last Thursday, we all took the day off work and had a nice time together down at Lough Melvin.
"We always went there a lot down the years to camp for a few nights and my parents and youngest brother Ronan were there at the time when dad died last year.
"When the incident happened, my mum swam out and pulled dad back in from the water. It's unbelievable when you think about it now. Ronan is a very bright young cub and he ran to get help from my dad’s uncle, Bernard, and Fr. Seamus Quinn, who lives nearby.
"Both Ronan and mum gave dad CPR until the emergency services, including the Air Ambulance, arrived. They were all fantastic and worked on dad for as long as they could but unfortunately there was nothing they could do in the end," Leigh added.
Reflecting on his own memories of his dad, Leigh said: "I have nothing but good and happy memories. He was an absolutely fantastic dad to us all and someone who had unbelievable patience.
"When we were younger and doing our homework, he would have had a long day at work himself but he would come in and correct it. If any of us were looking to go out and play football, he'd always make time for that too.
"As we got older and grew up, he was always very supportive of anything we were doing. You always got the sense that he was very proud of all his children."
Peter worked for 35 years at Tracey’s Concrete, where he was the production manager and is remembered as a man of great integrity and an honest, hardworking, loyal work colleague and employee.
He was also involved in many groups and had a variety of interests, but his main passion was his beloved Derrygonnelly Harps GAA club, of which he was a committed member for 33 years, both as a player and coach
The community stalwart also volunteered for various local organisations, including the Boho youth club and Botha parish.
Peter's colleagues at Tracey Concrete are now planning to honour his memory by taking on the challenge of walking Cuilcagh Mountain to raise money for Air Ambulance NI on Saturday, August 27.
Ahead of the event, a company spokesperson said: "Peter commenced employment with Tracey concrete in 1986, it was not long until he showed his potential to move up the ranks to become an integral part of the day to day running of the production side of the factories.
"Peter was always prepared to take on new roles or accept new challenges like becoming first aider, Peter was also involved in health and well-being within the company, Peter had put himself forward for this role and was preparing for a new challenging H&S course. Peter is truly missed by all his colleagues."
Money raised will go to Northern Ireland Air Ambulance and donations can be made to the company's JustGiving page.
Leigh added: "This is a brilliant idea and very fitting as dad actually loved going for long walks with mum and the rest of the family. It's a lovely tribute to him and a good way to raise money for an important cause.
"I know he is very much missed around Tracey's where he spent over 30 working and had a big effect on many of the staff there who all liked him a lot."
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