Mourners at the funeral of former Deputy Chief Constable Alan McQuillan have been urged to embrace his "powerful legacy" with regards the importance of family and of public service and duty.

The former PSNI deputy chief constable passed away on 6 October, aged 70, after a four-year battle with prostate cancer.

Mr McQuillan was hailed by many admirers as being a man of outstanding intellect.

Head of policing in Belfast in the early noughties, he provided key stability during the transition of Sinn Fein buying into policing.

placeholder image — Alan McQuillan's son Andrew, left, stands outside St Columba's as Rev Auchmuty greets Mr McQuillan's widow Heather, as their daughter Jane looks on.

Rev Chancellor John R Auchmuty conducted his funeral service at St Columba's Parish Church, Knock, Belfast on Monday. He is succeeded by his wife Heather, children Andrew, Jane, Paul and the wider family.

Rev Auchmuty said his formative years were in North Belfast with his parents Archie and Maud and sister Sandra.

He worked hard and graduated from QUB with a degree in Physics and Maths, going on to become the first Graduate entrant to the RUC in 1974, he said.

He had "a steely, quiet resolution to work for a better, just and peaceful society" and served with "selfless dedication" and “never forgot the loss and suffering of his friends and colleagues”.

Twenty years later he became an Assistant Chief Constable and then Deputy Chief Constable to Sir Hugh Orde.

He completed an MBA and the six-month Home Office Top Management Programme in 2002.

Alan retired from the PSNI in 2003 to form the Assets Recovery Agency in N Ireland, soon after being appointed its first UK Director.

He later worked as a consultant for many governments around the world.

The cleric said: "As one colleague told Heather, Alan was known as ‘the man who could give a gripping hour’s lecture from no more than six words on a post it.’

When he retired again in 2010 he joined the internal audit panel reviewing Stormont expenses.

"Alan was unfailingly thoughtful, a great listener, sensitive, intuitive, proactive and reassuring. He placed great value in being kind and courteous to people in all walks of life and was generous with his time for those who sought it," he said.

"Trustworthy and reliable, he forged close friendships with many in work and in his private life. A very polite and quite reserved person, he always tried to see the good in people."

The cleric said his medical diagnosis "hit hard" and frustrated him because of the challenges it gave Heather, Andrew and Jane.

"Selfless to the end he helped and encouraged them to find ways of coping with this terrible situation such was his love and care for his family."

He also made special arrangements to walk his daughter down the aisle despite his failing health.

"Too ill to travel to London for Jane and Paul’s marriage he approached me and asked if it would be possible to organise the marriage service here in St Columba’s.

"I agreed and on 30 th July 2021 the congregation of eight had a wonderful family day as Alan proudly walked Jane up the aisle.

"It was a truly joyful and memorable day. Paul and Jane then had their planned celebrations in London a few weeks later."

He said that Alan was "an utterly selfless husband, father, father in law and friend to so many people".

He and Heather had "a wonderful, joyous and happy life together" and lived out their marriage vows till "death do they part”.

His wife demonstrated "exemplary love and care" to Alan throughout his illness where she gained many new medical skills to care for Alan at home, thanks to the medical teams, carers and staff at Marie Curie.

Quoting CS Lewis, Rev Auchmuty added that "deep grief is the price we all pay for great love".

He added: "As people of faith we give thanks that death is not the end. Our hope is based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead which enables us to look beyond the grave with confidence."

He noted that well-known theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer - jailed by the Nazis - had a small plaque in his prison cell with these two simple words written on it “Never Alone”.

"As people of faith, we give thanks that we are never alone as God is with us. As Alan trusted in God so we this morning we need also to trust in God in our grief to give us the strength to sustain us today in the days to come.

"What a powerful legacy Alan has left us of the importance of family and of public service and duty. It is one which we would all do well to embrace. May we go forward from this Thanksgiving Service to live out those powerful lessons which Alan has shared with us and the wider community."