Thursday, December 22, 2005

very sad day

After the mayhem of the Christmas food shop, I spent the afternoon at a funeral. One of DD's swimming coaches died recently. He was a fantastic guy & had time for every child in his squad, very patient & caring with a great sense of humour & fun.

He died in his sleep in the early hours of the morning aged 42. His daughter had turned 18 the day before he died & his son is 16. His wife was so strong during the funeral & held on tightly to her children. Both his parents were there - it must be awful to bury your child.

Hundred of people attended & the funeral was absolutely packed, the aisles full & more people stood outside. He had a Harley Davidson & loved his bike. The hearse had a biker escort as it travelled from his home to the Crematorium & it looked fantastic as they roared by.

My lasting memory of him was last Christmas when the kids had a fun session. He was in the pool with them playing water polo & had about 12 kids hanging on his back, neck & still went after the ball carrying them all. Striding through the water with a huddle of kids hanging off him - they all adored him.

Along with his wife, son & daughter he leaves Keith the cat & Mabel the dog.

2 comments:

Carolyn said...

Oh how sad! And only 42 - that's the same age as me. Gosh it makes you think, and count your blessings.

susoolu said...

But it sounds at least as if he was a man who made the best of his life - someone who will be missed, but someone you were lucky to have known. Hope Christmas is cheerier.