I was shattered to learn in the middle of last year that my granddad had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Unfortunately by the time it was diagnosed, it had already spread to his bones so there wasn't anything that could be done for him. The decline was rapid and shortly before Christmas my beloved grandad passed away.
I was extremely honored to be asked by my Nana to write a eulogy in conjunction with the other four grandchildren, and I wanted to share it with you.
Gerald was
not only a wonderful Husband to Enid
and Father to Janice and Philip, he was also an extra special grandad and great
grandad. He had five grandchildren in total… Esther, Jude and Toby who are the
children of Janice, and the twins Rhys and Ceryl who are the children of
Phillip. All five grandchildren feel
blessed to have had him as part of their lives, and will miss him
terribly.
Unfortunately
both Rhys and Jude cannot be here, but they wanted their voices heard in this
service. Rhys is currently in New Zealand
after a year spent cycling around the world on a push bike, and Jude is
currently posted with the armed forces in Canada. Jude did manage to fly over
from Canada
to see grandad a week before he passed away, which just goes to show how much
Grandad meant to his Grandchildren.
Grandad was very proud of all his grand children’s achievements, and he
certainly set them a good example on how to succeed in life, with hard work and
determination.
There are
many fond memories of grandad that they will all treasure. Summer was a particular joy as it meant that
the grandchildren could enjoy the garden that he worked so hard on, and also
help him gather all the produce that he had grown. Grandad was a great
vegetable gardener and enjoyed sharing his garden with the grandchildren.
He always
made you feel welcome and loved and was loved back by all his family around
him. Things such as going over the club for a pint or two on a Friday night
strolling down there him his hat on head and pipe in hand and smile on face
then talking about everything and anything that came to mind or going for a stroll down to redwick along
the reens soaking up the views and nature such simple things in themselves but
looking back were so very special because he was there to share and enjoy it
with. These and so many other seemingly simple things will have a very special place in his families
harts forever.
Granddad
always went the extra mile for his grandchildren, and this was literal in some
cases. When Jude and Esther were young, they followed in their granddads
footsteps and joined their local Church Choir. As they excelled in this, they
travelled around many parts of the UK singing in various cathedrals.
Grandad was always happy to transport them around and made full use of his free
rail tickets! Grandad also regularly transported Esther back and for from
University in Bristol,
and once spent four hours in a traffic jam, when the road towards the second
seven crossing was closed due to ice.
There has
been many up’s but some downs in our families recent years. Sadly in 1998,
Janice (the mother of Esther, Jude and Toby) passed away at the age of 44 due
to a rare form of leukaemia. This hit the family hard, and was devastating to
both nana and granddad. The family took
strength from each other and this only served to give everyone an incredibly
strong bond that remains to this day. Nana is very much the head of the family,
and unites us all together. Grandad was always very supportive of her, and the
rest of the family. Grandad’s love and unbending dedication to his
grandchildren helped us all through this difficult period. In recent years Toby
has developed Epilepsy, and needs regular support with his health issues.
Grandad was always there for him when he needed him, and Toby will be forever
grateful for this.
Granddad had
also been blessed with four great grandchildren- Seb, Nicky, Iola and Bryn.
Some people may have slowed down once they became and octogenarian but not
Grandad. He would frequently be running around with the children, and taking
them up the garden in all weathers to see the chickens next door. He always
made our visits to Magor fun, and loved to see his family grow.
We enjoyed
his company, and the odd glass of brandy with him once we had all grown up.
Grandad loved to hear all that was happening with his family and the family
boxing day family gathering at Nana and Grandads is something his grandchildren
wouldn’t miss for the world. Grandad also developed close bonds with Esther’s
husband Matthew, and Jude’s wife Tess and they too will really miss him.
In 2012,
Esther nominated Grandad for a national award due to all the volunteering that
he has done throughout his lifetime. We were thrilled to bits when Grandad made
it to the grand finals and was given a certificate in honour of this
achievement. Grandad really was someone special, and the word that we keep
hearing over and over again when his name is mentioned, is ‘gentleman’. Grandad
really was one of life’s gentlemen and I know that all his grandchildren will
aspire to be as kind, generous and loving as he was.
