On 2nd July, after a very brave battle, Bob aged 77 years of Cross Hills passed away. A beloved husband of Lynda, a cherished and respected dad of Martin and Donna, adored grandad Bob of Huey and Scott and a much loved brother of Mike, Christine and family.
My Dad - By Martin Holmes
We all have our own personal thoughts about Bob.
Most of you probably picture some form of sport, most likely football, or tennis when you think about him.
I don’t.
I do have very fond memories of watching him play but that’s not what makes him important to me.
To me, he is my dad.
He made me the man I am today- the husband today and father I am today.
Without his guidance, help, patience, encouragement, and faith throughout my life I can honestly say I would not be half the man I am right now.
So, these are my memories of you, dad.
He loved life with our little family. It was just me, my mum Lynda and dad but that’s what made it so special.
Holidays to Devon and Cornwall in my early years. So many adventures, exploring outdoors and finding animals, playing games, building things. Always by the sea. He loved the sea and the sun.
The more I think about it, all the things I have done with Scott and Huey come from enjoying my childhood and wanting to share the fun and lessons that my dad gave me.
Wherever we were, he made it fun, even if the weather was bad. He could turn any situation into an exciting game. Give him some rolled up paper and some cups or a piece of string and boom! 2 hours of fun trying to get paper balls into something. Lots of detail mind, there had to be a scoring system, and everything was thought out. Perhaps that’s where I inherited the attention to detail from.
He loved silly jokes. ‘Dad jokes’ you might call them. But never a bad word said about anyone. He hated cruelty with a passion.
His humour was slightly off kilter. …. He loved Monty Python, the Goons. Pink Panther movies. Anything a bit daft and that suited me just fine.
Growing up, he loved ‘playing out’ with me and my mates. He was like the oldest kid in the gang, but he never took over. Just helped to make anything we chose to do more fun. My mum recalls a story when one of my mates knocked on our door and said to my mum. ‘is your dad playing out’? Obviously, my dad was more fun than me.
He encouraged me in everything I chose to do, never judged, and showed interest in whatever it was. I certainly inherited my ability to fix things from him. All his career has involved fixing things, and he loved every one of his jobs.
When I met Donna, dad was introduced to being a Grandad. He had a readymade 7-year-old Grandson in Scott. 21 now. And taller than me and Dad. He always spoke highly of Scott and took so much interest in what he was doing in his life.
When Huey came along my mum and Dad got to do it all again from day 1. I could sense how much they cherished every minute with him, watching the clock until the next time when they were looking after him again.
Dad took Huey everywhere and has taught him so much. It gave dad a new lease of life (and us a little break) and mum a chance to cook for more people again. Usually while Grandad and Huey were in the cellar making something together.
Their bond was special. Really special!
I know Huey misses him dearly and I will do all I can to help him remember the lessons Grandad taught him with happiness and joy.
I could rely on my dad for anything! If I had a problem, he would solve it. No matter what.
You would think that losing his help would be a struggle, but he brought me up to be self-reliant and strong, so when I got the opportunity to repay the favour when my dad was diagnosed with cancer, I took the opportunity and hit it head on. A bit like one of his tackles for Crosshills F.C.
I’m proud of my dad for the way he stayed positive through the last years. We made the most out of every day we spent together, adapting to the challenges we faced, we got out and did stuff together. Right to the end. I am so grateful for this time.
My dad didn’t want any fuss, no big ceremonies, but he did say it would be nice to be remembered.
Whatever he meant to you, be it in sport, work, or family, please try to remember him from time to time and that will do for him.
I’m proud of Mike, his brother, and Chris for all their support,
of my mum, Lynda for caring for him, looking after him, and being the loving wife and mum that made our little family perfect.
And of course, Donna, Scott and Huey for making my dad’s life complete.
Most of all Dad, I’m proud of you.
You are my hero. As it should be.
Very sorry to hear of Bobs passing. We were very good friends at South Craven school and playing football with Lothersdale and the Burnley matches along with John Parkin. I had tried to regain contact a few years ago having moved to the North east coast nearly fifty years ago. Wish I had tried harder.
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