Pray for us, says grieving wife and mother

PRAY for us was the simple plea from grieving mother Una Butler, who must today bury her two daughters, who were killed by their father, John.

Una Butler will this afternoon need all the comforting and support she can get as she sees her two children leave their home for their final journey. Her husband’s body is also reposing in the family home, but will have a separate service on tomorrow.

A statement yesterday on behalf of Una Butler and the family of the late John Butler said: “It is with great sadness that Una Butler and the family of the late John Butler have brought home the bodies of John, Zoe and Ella to the family home at Ballycotton, Co Cork.

“John, Zoe and Ella will repose together at the family home... The family have requested that the family home would remain private.

“A special Mass of the Angels will take place for Zoe and Ella at the Star of the Sea, Ballycotton, on Friday at 2.30pm. John’s funeral Mass will take place at St Colman’s Cathedral, Cobh, on Saturday at 10am.”

Mr Butler will be cremated in a private ceremony tomorrow following the Requiem Mass.

John, a 43-year-old unemployed builder, who had been treated for depression, took his own life a short time after he took the lives of his children when he deliberately doused his car in petrol and drove it at high speed into a ditch.

It is expected that the Star of the Sea church will be packed with mourners wishing to pay their last respects to Ella Marie Butler, aged two, and her six-year-old sister, Zoe Kate.

Postmortems carried out at Cork University Hospital concluded that their father had suffocated one of the girls and strangled the other at the family home some time between 7.30am and 9.20am last Tuesday.

A short time later motorists came across Mr Butler’s car, which had crashed and exploded in a fireball. His postmortem concluded he died from serious burns and smoke inhalation.

Following Mass of the Angels at 2.30pm today at Star of the Sea church the little sisters will be buried at St Colman’s cemetery, Cloyne.

“Una and John’s family are trying to come to terms with the enormous and tragic loss of Zoe, Ella and John,” the statement said.

They asked for prayers for them and for all people who are grieving and expressed “their gratitude to all those who have offered such comfort and support” to them.

The HSE is offering local people affected by the tragedy free professional counselling sessions. No appointment is needed for the drop-in confidential sessions which will be held for the next few days at the Bayview Hotel, Ballycotton, between 10am and 4pm.