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He died to save the ONE he loved
BY ELAINE SHERIDAN
The family of a second-generation Irishman have paid tribute to a brave son and brother who died saving his fiancée’s life while travelling in Thailand.
Twenty-four-year-old John Cullen from Solihull in Birmingham had been on a trip of a lifetime with his wife-to-be Helena Carroll when he was swept to his death by a torrent of flood water.
Helena, 21, was the sole survivor out of a party of nine exploring the Tham Nam Thalu cave complex south of the island.
In a statement issued by the Cullen family the dead man’s brother Stephen described how proud he, his two sisters and their mum Val are of their beloved John, but also of how devastated they now are by this tragic loss.
He said: “John died trying to do the right thing. He was brave and courageous in his actions.”
Stephen went on to describe how John was a fun-loving character with a real zest for life.
He spoke of how his brother loved sport and played golf to a very high standard.
He also told of how the Irishman, who worked as an asbestos surveyor in the family’s Midlands business, was also an avid Aston Villa supporter since childhood. |
