A NAAS businessman died on Sunday afternoon after being stung by a wasp while weeding his garden.
John Butler of Forenaughts, was a native of Myshall, Co Carlow.
John’s allergy to wasp stings was well-known but despite having anti-histamines in the house there was simply no time to administer the drugs and the sting took horrific affect within minutes.
The 55-year-old was a highly successful business man who opened his own strategic management consultancy company in 1989 called Century Management. John had also featured on TV and radio interviews in Ireland and had travelled around the world giving talks at seminars.
The close-knit family had recently enjoyed the occasion of his daughter Maria’s wedding and both Maria and her husband had only recently returned home to America after the celebrations. John’s sister-in-law Theresa Butler said that the loss was a tragedy.
“It’s a tragic loss. It was so sudden and so unexpected,” she added.
He had published many books over the years including his first in September 1999 called Successful Entrepreneurial Management which was launched in Croke Park before a large attendance.
John, who was educated in Myshall NS, Knockbeg College and UCD, always held the Naomh Eoin GAA club in Myshall and the local community close to his heart and was always very complimentary about his home area. He had remarked in the past: “There’s so much camaraderie and energy and enthusiasm and all sorts of things in a little place like Myshall that when you go into the bigger commercial world and go abroad and so on you find it has been a little microcosm of all that’s best in business.”
In his playing days the late John was known as a great hurler who and had won four u21 titles and one senior county title. He had also worn the county colours with pride during the 1976/77 national league campaign.
John is survived by his wife Imelda, daughters Michelle and Maria, brothers Ted and Andy and sisters Helen and Mary Butler (Chicago) and Ann Deegan (Shillelagh). He will be deeply missed by his extended family and wide circle of friends and business acquaintances.