We all have our beliefs – defined as ‘trust, faith or confidence in someone or something’, they help us to make sense of life and give us strength. I believed we had many years still to share with you Dad. I imagined you happily growing old with Mum, continuing to add to your ever-growing list of hobbies, watching Millie, Bella and Dalton grow up and maybe even us sitting together watching Pompey rise back through the leagues! Sadly and painfully, it was not to be. One of my core beliefs is that we each come down to this earth for a purpose, and once our work is done, it is time to move on. You could call it a lifetime to-do list. Having said that, I’m not sure you thought your work was done? When we came across your Ipad, we found a To-Do List with 94 items! These included the trivial: Sort buzzing speaker in the dining room Tidy the greenhouse Organise Itunes ratings Some social Glastonbury packing Email Pam & Geoff Re-book the Dinner party Some things, which quite frankly would have taken longer to write than actually do! Clean the wardrobe mirror Get reading glasses out And let’s be honest Dad - you weren’t perfect either - As well as a ‘To-do list’, you could say you also had a ‘Don’t do list: You were impatient. You hated queuing. I once remember us driving an extra 30 miles and getting lost on winding B roads, just to avoid a half a mile motorway hold-up and the frustration when your queue at the Dartford Tunnel didn’t move quick enough for your liking! You were exceedingly clumsy. I remember once watching incredulously as you leant back on Fi’s parent’s delicate antique chairs and hearing the inevitable crack as they finally gave under the pressure. A visit from Grandad usually left us nursing a broken curtain or towel rail or searching in the garage for the glue to stick on a separated mug handle. And then there was the science museum incident, where you were left alone with a 9-month old Dalton for a few brief minutes. Natalie returned to see Dalton toppling from the 6 foot high perch you had balanced him on for a second. Luckily you responded to her screams and caught him by the foot just in the nick of time. It’s a wonder Natalie and I made it through our childhood! You were always late. Always thinking you had enough time to do a couple more things before you left the house. I’m so glad I haven’t picked up that trait. Finally, most here will say that you had a very calm and kind disposition, but I remember you calling me an ignoramus on more than one occasion! However, if we look at the big things; the important things, please be in no doubt Dad, that you have left us having served your purpose and you have definitely completed your ‘To-do list’. -You gave Mum 45 wonderful years of happiness. You were a loyal, kind and loving husband and above all, her soul mate. I have often said how lucky I have been to grow up with parents who so clearly and unconditionally loved each other. And I promise that we will all look after Mum for you. -You were the most supportive and giving Dad we could possibly have wished for. You gave me strength, you bailed me out, you helped me live my dreams and, above all, you showed me how to be a man. If your passing transfers an ounce of your kind and gentle humility down the line, I will be truly grateful. --You were a brilliant Grandad to Millie, Bella and Dalton. You always had a smile on your face and a twinkle in your eye for them, and they all so looked forward to spending time and playing games with Grandad Whoops. -You were a, loyal, warm and generous friend to so many people here. You were a pleasure to spend time with because of your lightness of spirit and lack of judgement. As a result, you drew people to you, because they always felt better when they were in your company. -You lived a short but full life, Dad. You played in a band, you rode your bike, you enjoyed badminton, you skied black runs, you travelled the world, you immersed yourself in culture, you supported many great causes, you enjoyed a successful career and you loved your family and you did these things right till the end. As a result you will always be young in our eyes. Dad, I hope you can see that you have completed your ‘To-Do-list’, you have served your purpose on this Earth and that’s why you have left us to continue the dance on the next plane. I want to say three final things to you Dad: You gave me so much in life, but you have already started giving to me upon passing. For example, I looked in the mirror at my unshaven face on the first Sunday morning and noticed for the first time, specks of grey in my stubble. So thanks for the grey beard Dad! Also, Mum gave me the new and unopened brogues you had ordered before you went into hospital and they fit perfectly. I appear to have taken the metaphor of ‘walking in your father’s footsteps a little too literally! Thanks again. I would also like to clarify something with you. After your first stroke, I know you could hear us, but you were struggling to speak and it took you great effort, but you did manage one, perfectly clear word for me – the word was ‘Yes’. At the time, I didn’t realise the significance and I didn’t know why you had chosen that word – I thought maybe it was the book I brought you in hospital called ‘The Yes Man’ about a man who decided to say ‘Yes’ to every question he was asked for a whole year and see where it led him – a great book. But then I remembered, when I thought back, what I’d said to you a few moments before that. I think I said that I hoped that I had made you proud. If you were answering that, then that’s all I could ask from you. I will always strive to make you proud of me. I consider it an absolute privilege to have shared this lifetime with you, but also to have shared your final moments on this Earth; to have held your hand as you took your last breath and to have felt your soul leave your body – such a pure, beautiful and infinite energy! It has given me great comfort and confirmed my faith and belief that there is something more in the afterlife; I know now, that we need not fear death, that you are in a good place, and that we will meet again - and for that I am eternally grateful. Finally, when we returned home late on the night you left us, I whispered in Millie’s ear that Grandad had gone to the Angels. Through her sleep, she just said ‘thank you’. There is nothing more to say - Thank you Dad x