On 13th February 2026, we said goodbye to dad. The funeral was everything that it could ever have been and it was lovely to see so many people there and also joining us at the gathering afterwards. I was truly moved by the amount of love for him.

I had the honour to say a few words about his life and the man he was. This is the what I said.

Thank you all for being here today to celebrate my father’s life; it means a great deal to me. For those who don’t know me, I’m Rob his son. Dad touched many lives, and your presence here today is a testament to that.

He was born in 1932, the eldest of 4 children. He loved his three younger sisters Jill, Pat and Chris. Like many of his generation, he left school at 14 to start work as an apprentice, going on to become an electrician. He served in Germany with the army for his National Service and later contracted TB, which meant a long period of recovery in hospital making model boats.

Forming a business with his friend Brian, they worked for a company fitting out and maintaining self-service laundrettes. This work took him all over the country from Newcastle to Eastbourne; wherever the work was. That’s where I learned an important lesson about who Dad was as a person.

A man named Fred joined them from South Africa. Fred was black, and in those days that mattered to a lot of people. When they’d stop for lunch, Fred would sit separately as that’s how it was in South Africa. Dad, Brian and the rest of the team wouldn’t have it and they made sure Fred sat with them.

For some jobs, the team would be away for a week. The procedure was that they would start on the job straight away, while one went to book rooms for them all in a boarding house.

Once, in Newcastle, they went to the boarding house in the evening and that’s when the landlady saw Fred for the first time. She said “Oy, he can’t stay, he’s black”. The rest of the team looked at Fred, looked at her and said, “He’s not black, he’s Fred.”, and continued up the stairs. This phrase became a running joke.

Dad saw people as people. He judged them by their character, and was there for them when needed.

Dad met my mum shortly before her 21st birthday and they were married on April Fools Day 1967. Easy to remember! Mum’s dad, my granddad, was not happy that they’d chosen to get married on a day when Spurs were playing at home; as he was unable to go!

Dad was also a Spurs fan and even though he was getting married, he went to watch the game. Brian picked him up at half time with Spurs 1-nil up against Liverpool.

Incredibly, while signing the register in the vestry my dad told his new father-in-law about how good Jimmy Greaves’ goal was! A brave man! I do not know what Granddad said to that!

Spurs won 2-1, though.

On that day, he wasn’t the fool. Mum & dad were married for 58 years and there was never any doubt about their love for one another.

When my sister, Jen, and I arrived, they were delighted and he loved and cherished us both. He was always there when we needed him.

When Jen started work at a big bank in the city, she was nervous about navigating London. Dad decided to go with her on that first day and saw her to the door. He was waiting there of there when she finished work. Similarly, when she had her wisdom teeth out, she asked if he’d be there when she woke up. He said, “If you want me to be, I will be”.

He was.

Today is Friday the 13th. This is notable for us as it was the day dad brought home sweets for us when we were children. We had friends that would get sweets every week from their dad and so of course Jen and I asked our dad for sweets too! Dad wasn’t convinced that he’d remember every single week so he said that he’d only bring them home for us on Fridays that were the 13th. These became very special days in our household.

He absolutely adored his grandchildren from the very beginning. He loved getting down to their level to play with them when they were young and gave them his full attention. Leah, Jon, Jack, Ben and Ross all loved spending time with him, and he lived long enough to meet Teddy, his great-grandson.

Dad had passions that lasted his whole life. Railways were one of them, from train spotting as a youth to model railways from when I was born. He made many friends through his railway hobby. Following his retirement, he built a model railway around the garden and his friends visited every week forming the Thursday club, where much cake was eaten and tea drunk. Dad always allowed any visiting kids to run his railway. That generosity of spirit, and happiness to share what he loved, was typical of him.

He was a sun worshipper; particularly loving sunbathing on the beach. They loved having their own place in Spain where everything was familiar and they made many friends out there. Dad particularly loved his ice cream and had many a banana split in Spain in the company of family and friends.

Dad was gentle. He had this most wonderful smile and sparkly eyes that could light up a room. He would do anything for anyone. If a friend had a problem, dad would be round to help. He treated everyone with warmth and respect.

I miss my dad. I miss his quiet wisdom and his steady presence. He showed us that you don’t need grand gestures to make a difference; you just need to show up, treat people fairly, and share what you love with others.

We were all so lucky to have him.

Download the Full order of service as a PDF.