IN A final honouring tribute to the life of much loved and liked Limerick man, the family and friends of Jason Corbett will gather this Tuesday night at Cross’s Funeral Home on Lower Gerald Griffin Street, where the 39-year-old has been reposing since last Thursday week when his remains were repatriated from the US following his death.
Hundreds will gather and pay their respects to a family who have had to deal with a number of tragedies in recent years, a none more so than young Jack and Sarah corbett who have lost both their parents at such tender years.
Mr Corbett’s remains will be removed from Cross’s at 7pm to Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Janesboro.
Requiem Mass will be held on Wednesday at 12 noon with funeral proceeding to Castlemungret Cemetery, Co. Limerick where Jason Corbett will be laid to rest with his first wife, Margaret (Mags) Fitzpatrick Corbett, the mother of Jack and Sarah who predeceased the Janesboro man in 2006 following a serious asthma attack.
Mr Corbett was killed in his home in North Carolina in what was originally described as a domestic dispute but what local police have now said was an assault.
A 911 call was placed to emergency services by Mr Corbett’s US father in law and retired FBI agent Thomas Martens where he said that he was involved in an argument with Jason and hit him with a baseball bat.
Mr Martens’ daughter, and Jason’s second wife, Molly was described by police as a person of interest along with her father in the immediate aftermath of Jason’s death.
A custody battle over the guardianship of Jack and Sarah ensued in the days that followed and after protracted court hearings involving Molly Martens – who started out as the children’s nanny in 2007 before the couple married, Jason’s wishes that his sister Tracey and her husband David be instilled as guardians to the children was recognised by the US courts.
The young children returned home to Limerick late last week as Molly Martens lodged a late appeal to the court’s custody decision.
It is understood that the case could take up to 12 months before it is heard.
Meantime police in Davidson County have yet to arrest anyone in connection with the death of Mr Corbett but investigations are ongoing and they have said that they do intend on talking to Mr Martens and his daughter again.
Jason Corbett is survived by his “loving parents John and Rita, children Jack and Sarah, brothers John, Michael, Stephen, Christopher and Wayne, sisters Tracey and Marilyn, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, other relatives and his many friends”.
