JOHN Sexton’s appreciative approach to life in all its forms meant that he had that reflected back to him throughout his days.
It isn’t just since his passing on Monday, January 13th that kind words have been said of a man who consciously devoted his life to his family, farming and writing.
As the beloved husband of Betty and father of Rosemarie, Kevin, John, Micheal, Tomás, Elizabeth and Olive, he will be sadly missed by them, and by his extended family and community too.
For John, happiness was a mainstay. It showed in everything he thought, said and did. His full-square grin, and the ever-present twinkle in his piercing blue eyes, was merely a manifestation of his outlook on life.
In an interview, which featured in The Southern Star in July 2021, John attested that it was his family – particularly that of his wife Betty – that was key to his contentment.
That article was to mark his final column as a correspondent with the newspaper and the words drew on an appreciation penned by Seán Dineen, the author of The Texture of West Cork.
The writer describes John as ‘a renaissance man: an award-winning actor and producer with Kilmeen Drama Group, dairy and tillage farmer, writer and local historian, executive board member of Barryroe Co-op for 44 years, officer with Barryroe GAA, and the local Bol Cumann branch, community activist, the driving force behind the revival of the Courtmacsherry Strand Races and winner of both the George Russell Award for lifetime service to the co-operative movement, and the Paddy Fitzgerald Award for exceptional work in the Irish Farmers’ Association.’
To us, here in The Southern Star, he was simply our loyal and longest-serving local notes correspondent, which translated to being the longest-serving correspondent in the country.
John Sexton’s well-informed and widely-read columns spanned 63 years.
That’s an incredible milestone for anyone in any occupation, according to Sean Mahon, the managing director of The Southern Star.
Mr Mahon expressed his admiration for John Sexton publicly when John won a Hall of Fame Award at the paper’s 2017 farming awards, and he recalled how well-known John was, and how well respected he was by all who knew him.
‘We were very sorry to hear the sad news about John and we send sincere condolences from all at The Southern Star to Betty and the wider Sexton family. John contributed so much to The Southern Star for over 60 years.’
