Obituary: In memory of an original Derry Factory Girl, Anna Lefebvre

Anna was a woman of great faith, fierce love, and unshakeable loyalty. She crossed oceans and generations with strength, wit, and devotion that never wavered.

Born in Union Street, Derry, Anna left school young, but had a sharp mind and a head for figures. She worked in the shirt factory and picked up whatever wee jobs she could for a bit of pocket money.

In November 1963, she met the love of her life – an American sailor, Paul Lefebvre – at a dance in the Corinthian Ballroom. Three weeks later, they were married in St Eugene’s Cathedral and honeymooned in The Hut in Buncrana.

At just nineteen, Anna boarded a plane to America to start a new life across the water.

Together, Anna and Paul raised five children and played a central role in the lives of their nine grandchildren, as well as many friends, colleagues, and neighbors.

Anna’s love was steady, practical, and strong. She had firm values and stood by them all her life. She believed deeply in her family, in love, and in her faith.

Those who loved her can honour her by lighting a candle, keeping loved ones close, and greeting the day with “Good morning to the morning.”

She is sorely missed by her children—Paul (Fiona), Jacqueline (Patrick), Danny (Kerry), Conor (Jamie) and Sara (Ryan); her sisters Teresa and Eilish; her nine grandchildren; and all her nieces, nephews, and extended family.

You can take the girl out of Derry, but you can’t take the Derry out of the girl.

A Month’s Mind Mass for Anna will be held in St Eugene’s Cathedral in Derry on Sunday August 3, 2025 at 9:30 am.

*Tens of thousands of women across Derry, Donegal and Tyrone worked in the region’s shirt factories over successive generations and many more were employed in the cottage industries and satellite operations that were a central part of making the north west a world-renowned shirt manufacturer.

Shirts made locally were dispatched across the globe and the women who powered that industry were often the bread winners for their families and were collectively instrumental in transforming the city into an industrial powerhouse.