Funeral for couple who died in Spain to be announced later

Death notice for couple says the sudden death of Thomasina and Paddy Tobin leaves an "immeasurable void"

A DEATH notice for Thomasina Tobin (née McArdle) and her husband, Patrick, says funeral arrangements for the couple will be announced later.

The public notice also asks mourners to donate to the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust.

Mr and Mrs Tobin died on August 24 in Spain. They were found deceased in the jacuzzi of their holiday villa by their teenage children, Rhea and Séamus.

Their funerals have been delayed while police and forensic investigators in Spain try to establish the circumstances around the couple’s deaths.

“The most likely hypothesis - pending complementary examinations – is that both died from acute cardiorespiratory failure triggered by extreme physical effort,” local Valencia newspaper Lavante-EMZ reports.

“Authorities are now examining the installation, maintenance records and safety mechanisms of the system to determine whether any technical failure contributed to the tragedy,” a report in Levante stated this week.

The case remains open pending toxicology, histopathology and mechanical inspections of the jacuzzi.

A death notice for Mr and Mrs Tobin this morning says Thomasina and Paddy “will be deeply missed by their children, their families, relatives and many friends.”

Patrick originally came from Wellington, New Zealand. Thomasina is from a large family in Cabra, Castleblayney, and is the daughter of Nancy (RIP) and Tommy McArdle.

“Thomasina and Paddy shared a life filled with love, family and friendship,” their death notice says, “Their sudden passing has left an immeasurable void in the lives of all who knew and loved them. May they rest in eternal peace together.”

The notice says funeral arrangements will be made in due course. The families have asked that sympathisers make donations to the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust in lieu of funeral flowers.

The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust is well-known across the island of Ireland for helping bereaved families repatriate the bodies of their loved ones who have died abroad in sudden or tragic circumstances back to Ireland.