Noel Windle, who died on July 8th aged 69, had a life-long association with the Educational Building Society and was widely known and respected for his voluntary work on behalf of his alma mater, Mount St Joseph's College, attached to the Cistercian Monastery in Roscrea, Co Tipperary.
Through his work, his love of sport, his gregarious nature and readiness to help those in difficulty, he built up a wide circle of friends and acquaintances throughout the country. The large turn-out for the removal and funeral Masses in Dublin and Roscrea this week attested to his popularity.
Noel Windle was born in Dublin on April 27th, 1933. He was a twin of his brother Desmond who later became a judge. His father Henry was a garda superintendent, who died tragically in a car accident in 1939 when he was on the point of leaving the Garda Síochána to practice as a barrister, having completed his legal studies. His mother, Beatrice (née Matthews), was left as a young widow to look after the six-year-old twin boys and her daughter, Ann.
Noel and Desmond Windle attended the Central Model School in Marlborough Street in Dublin. It catered for some of the toughest areas in the inner city and Noel Windle would later joke that he grew up with members of the notorious "Animal Gang".
He was then sent with his brother as boarders to Mount St Joseph's Roscrea and this was to begin almost six decades of attachment to the college and the monastery. It was fitting that he was buried in the cemetery in the grounds of the monastery.
At school, Noel Windle was not a participant in rugby and other games because of his poor eyesight, but he showed his enthusiasm from the sidelines and in later years whenever Roscrea played in the Leinster Schools Cup in Donnybrook, he would organise lunches for past pupils in the Bective Rangers clubhouse.
He was not a noted performer at studies in Roscrea and left after fifth year without sitting for the Leaving Certificate. It was not a good preparation for a successful career in the Ireland of the depressed 1950s. However, a family connection secured his entry into the Educational Building Society in Westmoreland Street, Dublin. His aunt, Molly Matthews, was a co-founder of the EBS with Alasdair MacCába, a former member of the Irish Volunteers, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, the IRA and later the Free State Army during the Civil War. He had been elected a Sinn Féin TD for Sligo in 1918 and 1921 and for Cumann na nGaedheal in 1922 and 1923 before breaking with the party over the "Army Mutiny". As a teacher, he saw an opportunity to set up a building society to help those in education to obtain loans and mortgages.
As a young employee in the EBS, Noel Windle showed great aptitude in making personal contacts, attracting business and later in helping to expand the company into local branches around the country. He was skilled at identifying suitable local agents. He was especially proud of securing a prize site for the EBS in the Stillorgan Shopping Centre ahead of its rivals.
It was the kind of activity he was also engaged in for the past pupils union of Roscrea, which became the envy of other colleges for the way it set up a network of active branches including some in the United States.
For a non-participant, Noel Windle became surprisingly passionate about sports and followed Gaelic football, soccer, rugby and golf.
He was a member of Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club, but would joke with friends that his favourite activity there was the sauna. He loved horse racing and frequently travelled with friends to Cheltenham, Paris and other international meetings. At one stage he owned a horse called Bonne which won the Galway Plate.
For many years he looked after his mother, Beatrice, who lived to an advanced age. He himself surprised his friends by getting married at the age of 61 to Christina Kinirons. It was a very happy phase of his life as they entertained their many relatives and friends at their home on the banks of the Dodder River near Lansdowne Road.
Noel Windle retired from the EBS in 1998 having reached the position of general manager and director. He remained as a non-executive director up to his death.
He is survived by his wife Christina; brother Desmond; and sister Ann.
Noel Windle born 1933; died, July 2002