2024 01 Spring with bleed V4 - Flipbook - Page 19
the wheel and the Range Rover made me feel that we were indestructible,
rescuing other cars stranded in the rivers as we went. My father also made
the best gin and tonics ever. Clearly the ice and plenty of it goes in the
glass orst, a tall glass is best; then the slice of preferably lime but lemon will
do. He instinctively knew just how much gin was required and he seemed
to be able to pour the tonic in such a way that it seemed to hold its ozz 3
total perfection. To take pride in the seemingly simplest of tasks is a great
skill and my father was an expert. The last 18 months have been especially
tough, watching the dementia gradually erode my father9s being. And yet,
as his physical and mental capabilities dropped away leaving just an
outline of the man we knew, his gentle nature endured which I am sure you
will all agree is at the core of the person we all knew and loved.
Alexandra Rod Whittaker, RTW, Darling, Daddy, Grandad, or D as we his
daughters came to know him3 a much loved gentleman, brother, husband,
father, friend and all-round great man. He had a great innings - a life well
lived for 90 years 3 a testament to his strength,
resilience and enjoyment for life. A major factor
has to be his very great love for his wife,
Margaret, who he so fondly called Honey. Their
marriage of 60 years was olled with shared
dreams, a great sense of adventure, desire to
travel, great joy in making a house a home, and
their deep fondness for
each other and all of us:
daughters, grandchildren,
wider family and friends. The contentment he took
from his marriage gave him the strength to become
the man he did. Truly inspiring. A key contributor to
his long life, that has touched us all, is his mastery of
any and everything wood. Whether it was a small
boat he built for us to noat down a river, a horse jump
he repaired for the pony club, the gift of a wooden
box for Christmas, a piece of furniture for our homes,
doors for this Church, we have all enjoyed his ability
to fashion most things from wood with never ending
precision and care. Present him with a practical problem, he was sure to
respond 8I am sure I can make one of those out of wood9.
To read onlineāwww.kingsnymptononline.com/latest-edition
19