MY DAD 17-4-1930 to 30-6-2011 Born in Glasgow on the 17th April 1930 and lived there until 1939 when he then went to live in Keady, Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh, working on the family farm with his brothers & sisters. In 1952 he came to West Bromwich, living in various digs before settling in Union Street with his younger brother, Leo. Dad was well known in the Irish community, visiting various haunts like the Anchor, The Sandwell and The Star & Garter where he was great friends with landlord Tom Breen and barman Frank, he was also great friends with wacker from the Anchor and Walter from the Marksman, pubs he regularly visited with his future brother in law John Sheahan from Dudley Street. Dad met Mom in The Sandwell and married at St Michaels in 1956 and moved their house in Vicarage Rd in 1958 and his local was now the Rampa. They went on to have our sister in 1960 and me in 1962 and after a few jobs he settled with working at J.B.S Lees on the Oldbury road where he worked the rest of his working life before retiring in 1995. Dad was a big man, honest and proud, worked hard and played hard, never having a day off work and I can still remember, as a kid, Dad coming home from work stinking of the factory and that very same smell was on the overcoat he used to put on our bed to keep us warm in the winter, no central heating, just the coal fire and frost on the inside of the windows ! Dad enjoyed his retirement with Mom but it wasnt to last, Mom was diagnosed with Alzheimers in1997, overnight (and it was literally overnight) she went from a loving Mom to a tormented woman who thought I was her brother and didnt know who Dad was....it was the only time ever I saw Dad cry, we lost Mom in December 1997. Dad continued to plod on, enjoying his garden, going up the town, day in day out, going to St Michaels every Saturday night to chat to his old pals outside before mass, putting the World to right ! In January. at 2.15 in the morning, Dad woke up to find one of West Broms finest in his bedroom looking for stuff to take, Dad chased him down the stairs and the burglar fled out, taking 2 bananas, half a jar of coffee, and a watch, and it was the watch which done it, our late Mom gave it to him on their wedding day in 1956. He didnt tell us until 2 days after, he was too proud to tell us that he failed to stop this scum taking the watch and I remember the Policeman taking me to one side and telling me to keep an eye on Dad because when the elderly go through something like this they tend to go downhill....No, he must be wrong, not my Dad, he was too big & strong, but how wrong was I 2 weeks later Dad went into hospital with heart failure and then it really was a slippery slope, our sister helped as much as she could (Or how much Dad would allow her !) and I had to cut his grass for him, I knew then that Dad was failing. Thursday 30th June 2011.....3 years today, a normal Day, kids go to school after shouting at our Daughter to hurry up as usual, we went shopping and all was fine until 4.15pm when my sister phoned me up screaming down the phone telling me Dad had gone, she went to visit him and he was in his chair, the rest is history. When his pockets were emptied we found receipts for what he done that day, 10.30 he picked up his pension at Carters Green...10.45 put on a bet at Betfreds and 11.05 he went to Tescos to buy a bag of sugar, tea bags and 3 little triffles....he made it home, turned off his alarm, took his coat off, put his shopping on his chair, sat next to it and fell asleep, a fantastic way to go but what a shock for us. As it happened, his bet came in so he went out on a winning bet !....I havent cashed it in, I have kept it because its his writing, something he wrote about an hour before he died....he even done the crossword in the sun before he went shopping ! Its testimony as to what a man he was, at his funeral he had a fantastic turnout and a great send off in the Jinglers after, but it was strange seeing all of Dads family & friends there but without dad physically being there. Dads memory & mind was as sharp as a die, and I could fall back on his memories of West Brom in the 50s and 60s and he knew EVERY answer, but now he has gone and taken those fantastic memories with him and as I said, Dad was a proud man but not half as proud as I am to say he was my Dad
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 08:03:11 +0000
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