Fletcher Moylan could catch a slippery eel with his bare hands.
On the footy field he was so speedy, they called him The Flash.
His sporting prowess might have seen his name up in lights - life in the fast lane came calling more than once.
But Fletcher chose a life slow and fulsome, prioritising fatherhood, art and "always stopping and having a yarn with everyone and anyone".
The popular local identity, best known for selling his art to passers-by at Dapto and Stocklands Shellharbour, was struck down by a heart attack on Monday, September 11.
He was 52.
He leaves behind four daughters: Thea, Simone, Filisha and Christa, the girls' mother, Becca, and four grandchildren.
Ray Moylan, the eldest of Fletcher's eight siblings, said Fletcher was rightly being remembered as a kind and respectful man who became a friendly fixture of the shopping hub.
"He liked a chat. Never said a bad word about anyone. Just went and did his own thing," she said.
Fletcher was born in Kempsey but spent much of his childhood in Dapto, attending schools at Koonawarra and Kanahooka.
The Moylan kids would catch eels in Mullet Creek and keep them in a blow-up pool until it was time to cook them up. Fletcher and the other boys learned from their grandfather how to catch the creatures.
At the kitchen table, Fletcher was "one of mum's pets", Ray recalled.
"He was a real joker and used to tell mum lies about us and get us in trouble and have a real laugh about it," she said.
"We'd be trying to get our way out of it but mum always believed him!"
Fletcher returned to Kempsey in his 20s, learning his dot painting style and playing football.
He caught the eye of major clubs.
"He was fast; they called him The Flash," Ray said. "It was like he used to dance on the field."
"He was going to go to St George [Illawarra Dragons] - they gave him a trial run but he didn't turn up.
"Cronulla rang. One of the big coaches and managers rung me and they were looking for Fletcher, they were ready to put him straight in.
"But the mother of his kids fell pregnant, Simone came along then.
"He had more children instead."
Fletcher returned to the Illawarra about 10 years ago when his mother Valda took ill.
Fletcher lost his own father Elwyn to a heart attack when Elwyn was 34.
"He [Elwyn] was working down on the train tracks in Dapto and had a massive heart attack," Ray said.
The Moylans are in mourning for the third time in a year, having lost Valda in September last year and Fletcher's sister Lynette - also to a heart attack - last month.
Supporters are now crowdfunding for Fletcher's funeral service, to take place on October 6.
Angela Thompson
Proudly Illawarra Mercury since 2008; these days covering crime and justice issues. UOW alum. Thrilled by the chase and sobered by some of the things I see and hear when I stand still - sometimes in the same day. ang.thompson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Proudly Illawarra Mercury since 2008; these days covering crime and justice issues. UOW alum. Thrilled by the chase and sobered by some of the things I see and hear when I stand still - sometimes in the same day. ang.thompson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
