| Sudden Death Syndrome claims life of popular local |
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| Thursday, 03 July 2008 | |
A HEALTHY karate instructor who married just four months ago was killed by Sudden Adult Death Syndrome, a post-mortem has confirmed.Taxi driver Owen Mullen (42) was on his way to pick up his children from a Southside school when he collapsed at the wheel of his car. Owen - who is originally from Greystones but lived with his young wife and son Sam (3) and daughter Jordan (7) in Firhouse - had been told by his wife Susan (28) to pull in after he complained of chest pains to her on the phone. Susan, who married Owen just four months ago – on her birthday February 1 – arrived on the scene as two men who happened upon Owen desperately tried to save him. Owen did not smoke, drank very occasionally and was a fit athletic man. He taught karate at Rathdown Kenpo and at David Lloyd Riverview and coached soccer at Greystones United and rugby at Greystones RFC. The post-mortem at Loughlinstown Hospital attributed Owen’s death to Sudden Adult Death Syndrome, which also claimed the life of former Tyrone inter-county Gaelic football captain, Cormac McAnallen, three years ago. A family friend of the Mullen’s told Southside People that on Monday June 16, Susan got a phone call from Owen saying that he had got pains in his heart and that he was a bit worried about them. “He was supposed to be collecting Jordan from school. Susan told him to drive up to her parents’ house in Killiney and that she would collect Jordan instead. She was heading out towards the school and she saw Owen’s car at the side of the road and pulled in near Loughlinstown,” she said. “A car pulled up behind him and the person in the car had seen him slumped over the wheel and they pulled in. “When Susan got there, there were two men trying to resuscitate him and they were waiting on an ambulance to collect him at that stage.” The friend described Owen as great character who always had a smile on his face and was always laughing and joking. “He was never short of a few words and always had a story to tell,” she recalled. “He had time for everyone and would always stop and talk to people and he never had a bad word to say about anyone. “Susan is absolutely devastated; she is heartbroken. Everyone is just in shock. No one can believe it.” Meanwhile, a number of parents whose children are in the same classes as Sam and Jordan at Glenageary-Killiney National School are giving their support to Susan and her young family. They have set up a memorial fund for the benefit of Susan and her children. They have asked for all donations to be sent to Glenageary-Killiney National School and made out to the 'Doyle/Mullen Fund'. Owen Mullen was laid to rest on Thursday, June 19, at St Matthias Church in Ballybrack, with a cremation later that day at Mount Jerome Crematorium. |
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