Gill, Marilyn and myself have been fortified not only by the tributes to dad on this site, but also by the sentiments expressed in many cards, letters and emails. Very many thanks to you all! We do appreciate these and they are helping us with the grieving process. They have confirmed our view that dad was a very special human being who was highly regarded by all. We loved him dearly. He was a fantastically supportive and caring father to the three of us. We could not have asked for anything more from him as our dad. He was very much a family man and of course he was the head of our “family” (or as one of his grandchildren so aptly put it “He was the top guy”!) Over the years dad’s “family” has grown exponentially. In 1978 his marriage to Doris meant he inherited 2 stepsons and their own families including (eventually) 5 strapping “grandsons”, all of whom became a key part of dad’s family. He loved and cared for every grandchild and every great grandchild. He saw every addition to the family as a blessing. He was never happier than when welcoming one of his grandchildren (and their spouse) to Homestead Way or being introduced for the first time to yet another great grandchild. Sadly only a small number of us were able to attend the committal service last Friday but we are really looking forward to properly celebrating dad’s life when circumstances allow this.