John Lovell (29 Nov 1931 - 7 Jul 2016)

In loving memory of John Lovell who sadly passed away on 7th July 2016, aged 84 years, in Lincoln County Hospital, after a short illness.
Born in Dublin on the 29 November 1931, to Christy and Mary Lovell, John had eight sisters, Cissie, Annie, Edna, Bridey, Rosie, Betty, Cathleen and Pat, and one brother, Richard. After leaving School at 15 and surviving unhealthy and dangerous work in an iron foundry, John followed in the footsteps of many proud Irishmen and joined the British forces. He served in the Royal Air Force for over 25 years as a technician, rising to senior NCO rank and looking back with pride later in life on completing his education, mastering technical challenges and serving from the jungles of Malaya to Cold War Berlin. Shortly after starting his career, he returned to Dublin to woo Marie, a friend of his sister, and they married in 1957 shortly before they were sent to East Africa. Devoted to each other, despite frequent and lively differences of opinion, they were together 42 years before Marie's sudden death in 1999. Unable to have children of their own, John and Marie gave a loving home to their adopted son and daughter, Sean and Janet, who joined the family in 1963 and 1966 respectively and shared the adventures of service life.
After leaving the RAF in 1978, John settled in Grantham, a small Lincolnshire town, where he made good use of his engineering skills at work, and continued to pursue his other passion, playing golf with old and new friends in all weathers. When the weather was too bad even for him, he was known to occasionally darken the doors of his local pub, the Rose and Castle, which was being built across the road even as he moved into his new house, and soon found many new friends there over a pint or two of Guinness and a game of Cribbage. After retiring from work in the 1990s, he widened his social circle further by taking up Bowls.
After Marie's death he enjoyed a full and active retirement, but was saddened by the gradual loss of old friends overtaken by illness and death. He celebrated his 80th Birthday in style in Grantham, but soon afterwards moved to Horncastle to be near Janet as his Mobility and memory became less reliable. And before very long, despite facing and surviving Cancer, these difficulties made it too risky for him to continue in his own home, and he moved to the South Wold Nursing Home in nearby Tetford. There he made an unforgettable impression on his carers as they, like everyone else who knew John, were impressed by his courtesy, humour and sometimes forceful way of expressing himself.
Here, in what no-one saw as his final years, he had a particularly close relationship with Janet as she faithfully visited twice a week.
John's story might have continued for many years yet but for the sudden illness that intervened at the beginning of July. As his situation became critical, John knew what was coming, and faced it, as ever, without fear and with good grace. He will be sorely missed by Janet and Sean, by his grandchildren Tanya, Jonathan, David, Thomas and Lydia, by his brother and surviving sisters, and by David and Lynn who knew him as the most wonderful Father in Law.

John's body will be buried beside that of his beloved Marie in Grantham Cemetery on Tuesday 26th July.