John Kelly

He was born in Enniscorthy, County Wexford, and when he was 18, like many others of his generation facing limited prospects in Ireland, he moved to England.

He trained as a nurse in Kent, and eight years later he took up his first managerial post at the Whittington Hospital in London.

His career progressed through Bristol, Derby and Pontefract, culminating with his appointment at St James's.

In 1975, he married Marian Healy, a nurse from Killarney, County Kerry, whom he had met at the Whittington in 1972.

His decade at St James's, the largest teaching hospital in Europe, were both consuming and demanding, and he relished the challenge.

Following the merger in 1998 of St James's and the Leeds General Infirmary to form the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, he took early retirement.

The skills and insights John had acquired during his time in the NHS, coupled with a natural empathy for others, equipped him for the new life he had now embarked upon.

At its centre were his children Sarah, Ruth and Peter, then aged seven. A sports enthusiast from his own childhood – he played hurling and football – he was heavily involved in organising a sports tour from St Wilfred's Catholic School in Featherstone to the US, New Zealand and Australia in 2008.

Peter was a member of the squad, and John spent three years raising the necessary funds.

He supported his local Norton football club as secretary, and maintained his life-long interest in fitness, but having given up squash, he swam daily and daily walked his dog in nearby Brockadale nature reserve.

He and Marian frequently visited Marian's family home in Killarney where he loved the walking. He is survived by Marian and their three children.