TIM Naughton, a stalwart of the Galway Race Committee and its chairman from 2009 to 2013, has died. A proud Galwegian, he was the third generation of his family in the Naughtons hardware and homeware business on Shop Street. He was also chairman of the Connacht Tribune and of Galway Bay FM.

Speaking a few years ago about his sporting interests, he described racing as “the love of my life” and he and his sisters accompanied their father, who was involved in the racecourse, to the festival every year from the time they were able. Tim joined the Galway Race Committee in May 1980 and was a member until now.

He also played a role in racing’s administration and became a member of the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Committee in 1990 and the Turf Club four years later. He acted as a steward at Galway, Ballinrobe, Roscommon, Sligo, Limerick, the Curragh and Tipperary.

Tim was immensely proud of the facilities at Galway and endorsed the late Lord Killanin’s dislike of corporate boxes, preferring to mix the crowds at the races. He once said: “what I love about Galway is that you don’t know who you will bump into.” He felt that having local people on the Galway Race Committee was important and said that the course was always customer led. He put this focus down to having been in retail himself.

An erudite man with a devilish sense of humour, he studied history and French in college. He married Margaret in April, 1970 and they had eight children – Mary, Nora, John, Timothy, Gerard. Michael, Peter and David. They survive him, as do his sisters Mary Drury-Byrne, Una Dooley and Geraldine Rowan, his eight grandchildren and many friends.

His funeral took place last Saturday following mass in the Church of the Sacred Heart, Seamus Quirke Road, Galway followed by burial in the New Cemetery, Bohermore. The family has asked for donations to Galway Hospice.

“Life is changed, not ended.”