'I lost my superman, not just my dad' - Family pays tribute as Irishman dies in US hurricane

An Irish pensioner was found dead at a property in Florida after being killed as Hurricane Helene ripped through the USA's southeast states over the weekend.

Aidan Bowles, a 71-year-old retired lawyer who had owned a local Irish sports bar, also chose not to evacuate from his one-story cottage in Indian Rocks Beach in Pinellas County.

The New York Times reported that one of his neighbors, John Comer, an artist who had also stayed during the storm, checked on Mr. Bowles the day after the hurricane made landfall and came across a harrowing scene: Mr. Bowles had been trapped under a dresser and covered in mud.

“It’s not something you can get out of your mind easily,” Comer told reporters.

Aidan Bowles, understood to originally have been from Cork, had grown up in Ireland and travelled on holidays to Florida since the 1980s. After living in Kentucky for a while, he and his wife, Sabrina, moved permanently to Indian Rocks Beach about 15 years ago. She died a little over a year ago, but he didn’t want to move out of their home. “He absolutely loved Indian Rocks Beach,” Comer said.

Aidan's neighbour also described how friendly Mr. Bowles had been to patrons of his family’s business. 

“One of the amazing traits about him was he would always sit down with people and talk to them when they came into his restaurant to eat,” Comer said.

Aidan Bowles has opened Jack Quinn's an Irish sports bar in Covington, Kentucky some years ago. The bar has since changed its name to Molly Malone's.

In an emotional tribute online, Aidan's son Sam said he "not only lost my dad, I lost my superman".

"This guy was the strongest and smartest person I’ve ever met in my life, he truly made an impact on not just me but everyone he came into contact with. I’m truly lost without him we were not only father and son but best friends, business partners, and my hero," Sam said in a post on Facebook.

"Unfortunately my father didn’t make it through hurricane Helene last night and passed away in his home early this morning.
I will be arranging a celebration of life for him when I have a chance, I have an immense amount of things to deal with right now so please be patient".

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