There was widespread shock and sadness in Portlaoise this week when word came through of the sudden death of Kevin Culleton while on a family holiday in Lanzarote.
Kevin, originally from Clonaslee but a former senior championship-winning hurler with Camross, was involved with Portlaoise GAA club over the past 20 years or so.
He was was a retired prison officer and lived on the Dublin Road in Portlaoise.
Kevin and his wife Gemma (nee Doran) were heavily involved in local life and Gemma is very well-known through her role with Citizens Information.
Kevin originally played hurling and football with Clonaslee but transferred to Camross and won senior titles with them in the 1980s and 1990s.
When the family moved to Portlaoise he became heavily involved in coaching underage teams in the club and was a highly-regarded, popular and tireless committee worker, particularly on the fund-raising side of things.
He was a huge seller of weekly lotto tickets for the club and also a regular volunteer in the club’s grounds, previously on Fr Brown Avenue and in recent years in Rathleague.
Kevin is survived by Gemma and their four children – Ailbhe, who was a former Laois Rose, Kevin, Eve and Sean – his grand-daughter Aoife as well as Ailbhe’s fiance Gearoid and Eve’s partner Keith.
Funeral details to follow.
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