Cork teenage housing charity volunteers to carry coffin of SHARE user to fulfil his dying wish

The native of the Black Mountains in Wales was without family in this country but had a large circle of friends

Kenyon Jones Ginn, fondly known as Taffy, lived in the SHARE Mount St Joseph Housing Complex in Cork from 2007 to 2021.

Teenagers who collect for the Cork housing charity SHARE are to fulfill the dying wish of an 85-year-old service member by shouldering his coffin prior to his cremation on Monday.

Kenyon Jones Ginn, fondly known as Taffy, lived in the SHARE Mount St Joseph Housing Complex in Cork from 2007 to 2021. He was without family in this country but had a large circle of friends.

The native of the Black Mountains in Wales went in to a nursing home four years ago after he developed dementia.

SHARE Homes co-ordinator Catherine O’Brien continued to visit Mr Jones in his nursing home. She also regularly brought him out to a shopping centre for his much-loved doughnut and a cup of tea. He died on November 19.

Ms O’Brien is urging members of the public to line Shandon Street in Cork City on Monday as Taffy is taken from a funeral home to the Island Crematorium in Ringaskiddy for cremation.

Ms O’Brien said Taffy was the lovelies

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t of men. “I got to know him in about 2010. We used to run pool leagues and tournaments at the time and he loved playing pool. He was a real gentleman," she told Red FM.

"He was very active at Mount St Joseph SHARE complex. He just loved the place. He loved Cork. He loved it so much that his wishes were that when he would die that he would want the SHARE students to carry his coffin. Then he would be cremated and his ashes spread around St Joseph. 

"He was very interested in rugby and he also taught in a Sunday School in Wales. He used to preach in the church but he knew that wasn’t for him. 

"He wanted to become a truck driver and he did. He drove all over England and Wales. I don’t know how he ended up in Cork."

She said Mr Ginn loved singing and dancing and reciting poems.

Ms O’Brien said the boys and girls of SHARE will shoulder the coffin on Monday as the remains of the pensioner are taken from Joe Coughlan’s Funeral Home on Shandon Street at 12:50pm to the Island Crematorium.

She said that anyone who would like to pay their respects to Taffy should attend the funeral home before 12.50pm on Monday. The ashes of Mr Ginn Jones will be spread on the grounds of the Mount St Joseph complex following his cremation.

Donations can be made to SHARE at sharecork.org.