I’d really like to thank you for coming today, to celebrate my dad’s life and to support my mom and the rest of our family at this very difficult time in our lives.

The last few weeks have been hard for Mom, Dad, Julie and myself, we are so lucky to have had so many caring family and friends offering help and support. We would like to thank you all so much.

Dad has got a lot of family and friends and it’s great to see so many of you, I just wish Dad could be with us, I know he would just love to chat with you all.
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My Dad has worked very hard all his life; he had a few different jobs in his time. He left school and became a farm worker and then later he was called up for national service in the Army; a few years later he was demobbed in Donnington, and that’s what bought dad to the area.

He then enjoyed working at a local haulage company called Ferringtons then with his uncle Roy on a mobile shop and also worked for a man called Gordon Higginson at a company called Moba repairing egg grading machines.

He later became a bus driver for the Midland Red in Wellington and worked with his brother Win and friend Tommy. This is the time when dad started courting mom. Mom said Dad used to whistle her as she walked home from work. They got married 52 years ago on the 30 July 1960.

It was in the late 60s Dad had the urge to work for himself he bought a comer van and got his brother Bert to help him on his new bread and cake round. Dad decided it was time to expand and wanted to sell potatoes as well so got Mom to start prepacking potatoes in the garden shed. The potato business went well, so Dad had to then get himself a potato store. Dad soon decided it was time to buy his first little truck to deliver the potatoes then he bought another to deliver sheds then another to deliver Johnston pipes and so on. Before long he had built up a busy haulage company. (He made many good friends on the way)

I started working for my dad in the early 80s, anyone that has worked for dad will know you had to work hard. He always did a lot in return; he made my flask every morning he would make us tea coffee and often cooked us sandwiches and pies. Looks like I will have to make my own flask from now on. Over the years while sitting on the bench outside our office drinking tea he’s told loads of stories he was known for them, I am sure most people here have been in them.

Dad was a happy welcoming character to be with, always whistling and enjoying banter.

He has left us with a big hole in our hearts it will take a long time to mend.

I feel so lucky to have spent so much time with the man that was my best mate.