Well known figures from the world of sport and politics attended the funeral of former Portadown Times journalist and author Brian Courtney

Joining Brian's wife Sylvia, his son Colin and his wife Catherine and Brian’s brother Pat and brother in law Robert were a number of local politicians, former Portadown FC manager Ronnie McFall, Brian Strain, Captain of Portadown FC, former Portadown Times editor David Armstrong, News Letter journalist Billy Kennedy and a number of other former colleagues from the newspaper world.

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Speaking at his funeral on Saturday at Edenderry Memorial Methodist Church, Reverend Alan Wardlow said: “He was such an interesting and interested man and every person here will be carrying particular memories. In this Service, we will never do justice to the man and the person Brian was."

Brian was born on the 23 August 1937 in the Carleton Home here in Portadown, his parents William and Sarah. He had one sister Pat. The family lived in various places including Alfred Villas, on the Armagh Road, Church St and on Park Road and then Brownstown Park.

He met Sylvia in 1968 at a dance and they got engaged on 7 August 1970 and married on 7 August, 1971 in Strand Presbyterian Church in the Sydenham area of Belfast.

Their first home was in Pinebank in Craigavon and soon after their son Colin was born in 1973. In 1975 the family moved to Killicomaine Drive which has been home ever since, joining Edenderry Memorial Methodist Church where Brian had been baptised.

Rev Wardlow spoke of how Brian loved his family and loved keeping in touch with all of them, fully aware of where all his relatives were and what was happening in their lives. “Brian, in the finest essence of that phrase, he was a true family man.”

His entire life was spent in the newspaper business, firstly as a cub reporter with the Portadown News before moving to the Portadown Times in 1957 and then back to the Portadown News. In 1967 both newspapers amalgamated and were taken over by the Morton Group. As well as covering his beloved sport, football and Portadown FC, Brian was a court reporter and feature writer covering many aspects of the history of this town. Many loved his weekly articles and especially a series entitled ‘Those were the Days’ where he reflected on the changing nature of the town he loved so well.

"He achieved so much in his work and his achievement was acknowledged when the Rothman’s Journalistic Awards awarded him on at least two occasions. Colleagues talk of him as a stalwart, an influence, a driving force, a legend and meticulous. They share of his encyclopaedic knowledge of local affairs because he covered county and council meetings.

"He co-authored with Brian Cassells a most beautiful book entitled ‘By the Banks of the Bann’. Sylvia kindly gifted me a copy of it. It is so beautiful, so interesting to read and the illustrations by Elizabeth Lutton, so beautiful to look at. I will treasure that so much.

"He wrote the programme for Portadown FC and that won an award in 1992. And he also wrote, through all his life, for the Orange Standard newspaper. Brian belonged to the Wesleyan Temperance Lodge 161, and the Epworth Temperance RBP 232. This was a very important part of his life.

"He loved cricket and supported Lancashire, however we have to return to Portadown FC which he supported and had such great knowledge of. I think people were amazed at his keen memory and how he recalled the history of the club. Of course he would have been delighted they won one nil and at Shamrock Park, there was a minute’s silence in his memory.

"On one occasion Brian missed a match. He was going to attend a wedding. Portadown won 13-Nil. Some of the supporters said, Brian would you stay away every week. There is a lovely photo of him in the stands with his scarf on and that’s in some of the local papers. Even when he was not reporting on a match, Brian would travel to games with his nephew Alexander Prentice, his great friend Victor Gordon, Victor’s daughter Fiona and their friend John Connor. This little group of travelling fans dubbed themselves the Killicomain Reds Supporters’ Club. They saw the highs, they saw the lows but for Brian, aside from all the trophies’ success, he believed the greatest ever match he witnessed was against Ards in 1990 where in injury time, Sandy Frazer’s goal sent the travelling support wild with delight with sheer emotion. That goal always lived with Brian.

"Brian collected stamps and was involved with everything to do with them. He loved history, especially war history. He could regale an audience about the Boar War, about the First World War or the Second World War,” said Rev Wardlow suggesting he should maybe have been on Mastermind .

"He loved dogs and took Colin and Catherine’s dogs for walks. There is a lovely painting in Sylvia’s home with Brian walking the dogs and I just loved it. It was just him in the distance walking beside a river.

"He loved the news and keeping himself informed and even, in failing health on Monday, wanting to get out of bed to hear the news.

"Like so many he struggled with new technology and worked the typewriter with two fingers. So he brought that principal to a computer keyboard and attacked the keyboard with such ferocity, a colleague observed he was like ‘Thor’s Hammer’. He destroyed many keyboards in the process.

"Brian also loved trains. I see some political representatives here. He was on the last train between Armagh and Portadown. He recalled the anger and frustration that was prevalent among the passengers. So political representatives, get that line reopened. Many people would appreciate it.

"Brian had a personal faith in Jesus Christ and that underpinned his life. His formative years were influenced by his family, a Methodist family the late Rev Morley Thompson received him into the membership of the Methodist Church. Brian belonged to Thomas Street Boys Brigade and the Old Boys Association and the Christian faith underpins that wonderful organisation. He served here on what was then called the Leaders’ Board. He never missed public worship. On a personal note, he was one of the very few, who every week, whether it was a good sermon or a bad one, he took time to say to me ‘thank you for the lovely service’.

"As his health began to deteriorate suddenly last weekend and I got to see him, he wanted prayer. I humbly anointed him and prayed with him. I have no doubt because of my observations of him, which are shared by many, observations of his kindness, how gracious he was, his humility, he would have wanted me to say today ‘this service is not about me. Think about Jesus,” said Rev Wardlow who finished off with a Prayer for Journalists by St Francis de Sales, the Patron Saint of Writers and Journalists.

Mr Courtney is mourned by his wife Sylvia, son Colin and daughter-in-law Catherine, brother Pat and brother-in-law Robert.