Dads Funeral

My father was cremated today Wednesday 17th January 2007 at Portchester crematorium 12.15pm .
Lots of friends and relatives attended and gave him a right good send off in the end.
The vicar was superb,the service was great and the wake was a very nice place to attend afterwards in his memory.
I managed to deliver my speech as follows which I was complimented upon the delivery as well as capturing the essence of the man who was my father.
I am sure he would have been proud of me today.

"Reg, Reginald, Grandad or just Dad…he was known as different names to different people but always the same man lay underneath. Maybe lay isn’t the word I should use, as he was always up ,making himself busy..even right to the end his escapades to leave the nursing home ,despite being hardly able to walk ,were a regular occurance.

He will have created different memories for different people in this room and today I wish to share some of mine with you.

Dad, was never one for the limelight but always willing to lend a hand if called upon.
Always ready with a cup of tea , drink of any concoction, including his infamous “homebrew” in the 1970’s or his particular love of producing a sandwich on a plate ,no matter what time of day or night.

During World War II he was mentioned in despatches for bravery in a fire. His telling was he “helped out the idiots that were smoking” That was typical of the modest man that he was. I never even knew about this until the framed certificate came to light one day about 10 years ago. He just dismissed it as part of his job at the time.

Dads love of organ music and Jim Reeves will forever remind me of Sunday mornings as a teen-ager trying to get a lie-in. Oh no, my dad would not be having that. How long and loud can you play such music? I think he always,without fail,tested it to the limits.

Possibly to blame for this was his confirmed loss of hearing in one ear but the fitting of a hearing aid wasn’t going to stop his frugal nature. He would regularly attend the local Health Centre for his “free” battery …not because he wanted to use his hearing aid…, the same battery fitted a small digital clock he had beside his bed. And there reminds me of another twice yearly event…. The changing of the all his clocks and watches ……. Never a 5 minute job to help him do as he had so many. He always knew where they came from and the history behind them.That’s what made those times so special.

He used to let us sit on his lap, in his much beloved cars, as children and steer them around HMS Daedalus at Lee-On-Solent ,even down the runway on particularly quiet weekends.. Many a Saturday we would stroll around the airfield with him picking mushrooms and striking golf balls for me to go and find.
He used to bring home the contents of the planes he looked after when they returned to base. His affinity for Spangles in their many weird and wonderful flavours will always remind me of those days. The clicking sound he used to make also when sucking on a boiled sweet between his false teeth. He kept various pots of glues in jars and tablet bottles sat on shelves high up out of reach with the suitably attached match and lollipop sticks for application. He always had a spare battery, spare torch or tester to hand in garage ,shed or his kitchen “that will come in handy”draw.

He was a hoarder , from tins and jars full of odds and ends to rain water, he never threw anything away he didn’t have to.
His love of sport was limited but passionate.
Luton Town Football Club has lost another supporter..can they afford that at this time,…never interested in any other result whatsoever…just Lutons…..Snooker was another sport he loved to watch, but most of all 4pm Saturday afternoon was where he loved to be ..ITV’s World of Sport and the Wrestling. His chuckling and wincing from our lounge was something to behold.
He was always there for us in his own way but never really shouted too much about anything when we required guidance in life from him.. He just got on with the situation in hand.
No fuss, no bother and always willing to help if he could. Just like today really, he wouldn’t have wanted fuss or bother, just to be remembered in his own inimitable way. ….he is only here now because he has to be…they have had to close the box to stop him from wandering off one last time.

The Circle of Life catches up with everybody eventually and today after much resistance, it has finally caught up with my dad.
Hopefully that special person he was and all the memories created, will stay in my and your hearts forever.
Thank you all for coming today to show your respects to such a great man....my dad."