FOR Jim McReynolds, the customer always came first.
No matter what time of day, or whether his bar was open or closed, if someone was in need of something, help was just a rap of the window away.
Jim was a proud member of his community, like his father Barney who first opened McReynolds’ Bar on Dungiven's Main Street more than 100 years ago.
He grew up with the sights and smells of the traditional pub, the family's living room separated from the clink of glasses by just a door.
His formal training, however, came behind the bar of the Northern Counties Hotel in Derry city, as his older sister Jean initially took over the business.
Jim married Rose Boyle from Drumsurn and the couple moved to Crewe, where he worked on the railways and had a part-time job in a pub.
This led to the brewery appointing him to a full-time management post. The family then moved to Manchester and Jim managed two pubs there.
When Jean married, they returned with their four children to Dungiven in 1963 to take over McReynolds Bar.
It was, and remains, a traditional bar, a place to share a joke, a story or a problem. It has been referred to more than once as an “institution”.
Jim was well suited to the business. He ran a tight ship and could be strict when necessary, but he enjoyed the company of people of all ages and a smile was never far from his face.
The bar was always a great place for craic and his six children would often fall asleep with the sound of laughter barrelling through the walls and up the stairs.
With a cattle sale in its back yard, McReynolds was particularly popular with farmers, and sport was also a constant topic of conversation.
Jim was a loyal supporter of the local hurling, football, soccer and boxing clubs and had been a talented Gaelic player in his day, representing the Derry minors in 1947.
He was active in parish and community life, serving as treasurer for the local St Vincent de Paul Society, and he sponsored many groups and clubs down the years.
He also enjoyed time in a holiday home in Donegal, although he could rarely be away for more than a few days - even on Christmas Day you would find him serving his customers.
Jim loved family life; he did his fair share of cooking – which he enjoyed - and often had a meal ready for Rose, a teacher in St Peter's and St Paul's Primary School, Foreglen, and their children when they returned home each evening.
In later years he was able to enjoy his retirement with Rose while their daughter Finvola took over management of the bar.
It was only as he entered his tenth decade that Jim began to require some physical support. The word used again and again by those who cared for him was 'gentleman' - a fitting tribute to a life of service.
Jim McReynolds died aged 91 on July 28.
Predeceased by his six siblings, he is survived and sadly missed by his wife Rose and children Finvola, Siobhan, Fanchea, Bernard, Bronagh and Ciara.
