My Father. A tribute My father asked me to give this tribute on behalf of the whole family. It’s an honour for me to do this. It was, of course, also a shock and an immense loss to us all. Looking around, Dad would have been delighted to see so many of his family and his friends present today. He would also have been worried that there was insufficient tea or that someone might leave before he took the collection. Dad spent all his life in Eastern England. He was born in Bedford in 1937, close to the Cardington air sheds where he could see the R100 and R101 airships being built. He moved to Ipswich in 1949 when my grandfather retired as gardener to the Duke of Bedford. He was an only child, though his extended family was large. My grandfather was one of 13 and my grandmother was one of 11. In fact, my mother Mollie said that at their wedding, in 1959, because of the numbers involved, they agreed only to invite uncles and aunts and no cousins. Even so, her side was outnumbered three to one. I hope there was enough tea. Dad remarried in 1973. He and his wife Pat lived together in their house in Lanark Road until she passed away last year at the age of 89. Together, they ran a hardware shop in Norwich Road for many years. It was a wonderful place, full of interesting things, not all of them with obvious uses! But Dad knew them all and could find exactly what you needed. Pat had two children from her previous marriage, Martin and Beverley, who I am proud to call my brother and sister. Growing up, my sister Hazel and I would look forward to meeting with them at the seaside or holiday camps, sharing many happy times together. Looking through the photographs that he left behind of these and other occasions, I can see how important family was to him from the happy face that shines out as he spent time with his 4 children, 9 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren. He loved us and cared for us all and we all loved him in turn. He passed away quietly surrounded by family and friends, having made his peace with God. Dad had a strong Christian belief. He and a friend attended a Billy Graham campaign at Harringay in 1953. He accepted the Lord Jesus as his saviour and became an active member of the church. He preached as a lay member of the community at many different churches across East Anglia until 2015, and also served as Deacon at Rushmere Christian Fellowship for 10 years. He came to CRBC in 2003 and has been actively involved in this church since then, including helping with the plans for the new church from an accessibility perspective. Since his wife Pat passed away last year, also with St Helens Church Pop-Up Shop and Lunch Club meetings as a volunteer. I know how much he will be missed. Dad had many interests, some of which I share. He loved transport (especially steam locomotives and trams). He and I spent many happy hours travelling the country to interesting museums and heritage railways. He was secretary of the East Anglian Transport Museum where he took care of the finances, and once drove a tram there (too fast, by all accounts – he never learned to drive properly!). He was an avid follower of athletics, including the Olympics and Commonwealth Games. He advised the Olympics Committee on disability issues. He also served as a School Governor, as an advisor to the University of Suffolk, as a Director of Opera Disability, and on many other committees. Dad was organised, he was kind, he was sincere in his beliefs, he was a friend to all and generous of his time and energy. “Leave it to me”, he would say and it would get done. Above all, he had a great sense of humour. We will all miss him. My father, Brian.

Missing you, Dad. We shared many happy days together. We will always have fond memories of you.

Thank you for setting up this memorial to Brian. We hope that you find it a positive experience developing the site and that it becomes a place of comfort and inspiration for you to visit whenever you want or need to.