THE GRIEVING relatives of a father and his two daughters who were killed in Ballycotton, Co Cork, last week have been asked to remember the “good times” the three shared before their lives ended so prematurely.
At the Requiem Mass of John Butler (43) at St Colman’s Cathedral in his native Cobh, Co Cork, on Saturday, the chief celebrant, Fr John McCarthy, said many “unanswered” and “unanswerable questions” surrounded the deaths of Mr Butler and his daughters, Ella (6) and two-year-old Zoe last Tuesday morning.
However, he stressed the importance of remembering the happy occasions shared by Mr Butler, his wife Una and their two children.
“It is a time for remembering the good times – John the committed family man – his love for Una and his doting on his beautiful girls Ella and Zoe, his playing with them and reading stories to them. We recall John’s hard work, strength and energy, his talents and successes, including hurling, football and bowls.
“We remember his love for his nieces, nephews and godchildren – for whom he would buy lavishly and spoil with the biggest toys – his was the present, at birthdays and Christmas, that everyone would look forward to.
“We recall family Sundays at Belvelly [in Cobh] and his errands for Granny Meaney. This is the John the Butler family will remember.”
Mr Butler’s sister, Katherine Norton, thanked her late brother’s in-laws, the O’Riordan family, for their support, particularly over the last week. She also expressed her gratitude to the HSE, clergy, to Cobh GAA for providing a guard of honour and to the hundreds who offered their condolences to the family. She expressed her appreciation for the Garda which, she said, went beyond the call of duty to ease their pain over the last few days.
Ms Norton received a round of applause from the hundreds of mourners who attended the Mass when she ended her short speech with a heartfelt expression of love for her brother and his children.
“We love you John and you and your angels will forever be in our hearts.”
Chief mourners included Mr Butler’s widow Una, his mother Kitty, his grandmother “Granny Meaney”, and his brothers and sisters Chris, Paul, Marie, Katherine, Pat and Bríd. Una Butler’s family were also in attendance and participated in the readings.
Fr McCarthy, who celebrated the Mass alongside, among others, Fr Michael Leamy, representing Archbishop Dermot Clifford, and Fr Aidan Crowley, curate of Ballycotton, said it was difficult to absorb the “enormity of what took place”.
The offertory gifts included family photographs, a hurley and a sliothar and a picture of a young John Butler receiving a medal from the late Cork hurler Christy Ring.
An accomplished Gaelic footballer with both Cobh and Imokilly, Mr Butler had worked in Irish Steel for a number of years but in more recent times he had worked in construction.
The bodies of Zoe and Ella were found at the family home at Ballybraher just outside Ballycotton, Co Cork, last Tuesday morning by relatives when they called to check on the girls following a car crash in which Mr Butler died.
Postmortems confirmed the girls had died from asphyxia. Mr Butler was killed after dousing his car in petrol and driving it at high speed into a ditch. Gardaí are not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.