A CO Tyrone businessman who died in a quad bike accident was found by his teenage son, a priest has said.
Nishi Ward (45) from Plumbridge, was killed in the incident at his home on Thursday evening.
Mr Ward was credited as a key player in the Northern Ireland manufacturing sector.
The married father-of-four was the founder of Plumbridge company Waste Systems.
Fr Roland Colhoun, who was called to the Ward home following the tragedy on Thursday, said he was met with a scene of “utter heartbreak.”
Fr Colhoun, who said Mr Ward was found by his 14 year-old son, said: “I was called to the scene...it was all the worst because of the darkness and a heartbroken family huddled together."
The priest said Mr Ward was highly respected in the Plumbridge area and was well regarded as an employer at his firm which employs 20 people.
It also emerged that Mr Ward was on the verge of a huge expansion of his firm into the USA.
Close friend and SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan said Mr Ward had already started exporting his Co Tyrone-made machinery to the US and had plans for further expansion into the country.
He said Mr Ward had put business structures in place, including a new management board, to oversee the expansion.
“He was hard working and very proud of what he had achieved so far and was so excited about his plans for the future.
“Nishi was a real family man and deeply rooted in Plumbridge. He was a hard worker and had a great sense of humour. I am confident that his legacy will live on through the expansion of the company has he had planned it,” Mr McCrossan said.
Alastair Hamilton, chief executive of Invest NI, said he was "very saddened" by his death.
"Nishi was a much respected businessman who was instrumental in the global growth of Waste Systems Ltd in Plumbridge and an integral part of Northern Ireland's manufacturing industry," he said.
"As a valued customer of Invest NI I had the great privilege of getting to know Nishi personally.
"While he used our business solutions to help his business grow he also gave up his time and participated in our marketing campaigns, helping us to promote the importance of exporting and innovation to businesses across Northern Ireland."
Offering "deepest sympathies" to the Ward family Mr Hamilton said the businessman was widely admired and would be missed by the business and wider community in Derry and Strabane.
Mr Ward’s funeral will take place from his home at 10.20am on Monday to the Sacred Heart Church in Plumbridge for Requiem Mass at 11am with burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery.
