Coillte, the national forestry agency, has apologised to Ray MacSharry and his family for placing a sympathy notice in The Irish Timesreferring incorrectly to the death of his wife, Elaine MacSharry. Mrs MacSharry is seriously ill.
A Coillte spokesman said that it had apologised to the former EU commissioner and his family for the distress the notice had caused to them on its publication on Saturday.
The spokesman said Coillte had acted in good faith on information given by a "senior source".
"We understood the death of Mrs MacSharry had taken place and that was incorrect," he added.
"We proceeded in good faith and we have apologised to Mr MacSharry and his family for the distress which has occurred."
The sympathy notice was placed because the former EU agriculture commissioner and minister for finance had also held the post of chairman of Coillte.