Thomasina and Patrick Tobin: UK couple killed in Spanish hot tub horror farewelled at funeral

The couple who were found dead in a hot tub will holidaying in Spain have been farewelled in an emotional service.

Thomasina and Patrick Tobin, aged 51 and 48 respectively, were holidaying in a villa in Cullera when they were found dead in a jacuzzi on August 24.

It is believed the London-based couple were located by their 14- and 16-year-old children, who alerted local authorities.

Hundreds attended the joint funeral in Castleblayney, Ireland, on Friday morning, local time.

Canon Patrick McGinn told the heartbroken attendees that “they will be very much missed by their family, relatives and friends”, the Irish Mirror reported.

“We know that Patrick and Thomasina were much loved parents to Rhea and Séamus,” he said.

“They will be very much missed by their family, relatives and friends.

“The sudden passing has left an immeasurable void in the lives of all who loved them.

“We thank God this morning for the love and joy that Thomasina and Paddy gave to so many people during their short life.

“It is our faith that Patrick and Thomasina are reunited with all their loved ones who have gone before them.”

Items from the couple’s life — including a family photograph, Patrick’s sporting medals, and a hard-hat from Thomasina’s work as a surveyor — were placed on the altar.

Mr McGinn said they created a “lovely home together” in Greenwich, London, which the photograph was symbolic of.

“This represents the family that Paddy and Thomasina created together and how Rhea and Séamus were at the heart of their lives, Paddy being a devoted father, Thomasina being a loving mum.”

Attendees were told that their deaths prompted an outpouring of grief across the UK and beyond.

“There are so many heartbroken at their tragic deaths,” Mr McGinn said.

“When I heard the news I did not think we would be celebrating their lives here in Ballintra.

“We are all so sad for you who are heartbroken today. We really do not know what to say, all we can do is huddle in grief around the remains of shattered dreams and what might have been.

“We just can hold you in our hearts today. The highest platitudes are not much use to us.

“We need to realise that we are in the middle of real suffering.”

The couple’s children, who are believed to have special needs, are being cared for by family in the UK.

Mr McGinn said their home was “a proud example” of their generosity.

“Their children were the most important part of their lives,” he told the funeral-goers.

“Thomasina being a mother, it was the most important thing in her life and she spoke about it often.

“I know at Christmas, Thomasina and Paddy and children would always come [home from London] and Rhea and Séamus were so much part of that visit.

“Paddy became part of the McArdle family very quickly. He came from the Tobin family who were a warm and close knit family themselves and Paddy understood and enjoyed all the fun that the McArdles threw at him during the visits.

“It was always a pleasure to see their car arrive in Cabra, full of gifts and presents, teddies and all sorts of things for Christmas.”

Initial postmortem analysis suggested Thomasina and Patrick suffered cardiopulmonary arrests while in the jacuzzi, and both deaths are not being treated as suspicious.

Primary police investigations were focused on whether the jacuzzi’s suction fittings had malfunctioned, trapping the couple in the tub.

Police also investigated a plethora of theories, including overheating, filtration system malfunction, or a chemical leak, as The Standard reported detectives encountered a “strong chemical smell” coming from the hot tub’s location.

Another theory focused on electrocution as being the cause of death for the couple.