Geoffrey Whiteman (3 Sep 1936 - 6 Aug 2016)

In loving memory of Geoffrey Whiteman who sadly passed away on 6th August 2016 aged 79 years

Geoff was born to Pat and Bert Whiteman in the small Northamptonshire town of Burton Latimer on 3rd September 1936 he had one sister, Sylvia who now lives in the United States.

Geoff grew up in Burton Latimer and he attended school there. Well, I say attended school, but that is not really accurate. Geoff was not academically minded and although he was a very intelligent man, the formal education system did not suit him. He couldn’t always see the point of wasting good days in school, so his attendance record was, shall we say, not perfect and he left school at the earliest opportunity when he was fifteen.

He went to work on a farm in the nearby village of Finedon and became a dairy herdsman, a job he held and enjoyed for around twenty years. He loved the job and he was very good at it. Sadly, the farm on which he worked was sold and the nature of the farm changed so that there was no longer any need for his skills. Geoff became redundant.

He found alternative employment however, and it was very different to what he was used to. However, Geoff was very adaptable. The job was in the town of Irthlingborough with a company manufacturing leather goods, and he worked there for around twenty-five years until he retired. He started off as a production operator, but then progressed through other roles within the company until he finally became the stores supervisor. This was a very responsible position within the works as it was up to Geoff to order and then maintain the right materials to ensure production. And in addition to this work, he also had a training role within the company to ensure that new employees were able to operate the machinery safely and effectively.

Geoff was a natural choice for this training role, because even though he was a supervisor, his work philosophy meant that he would never ask anyone to do anything that he was neither capable of doing or that he was not prepared to do himself. Thus, he was a very skilled man who was capable of doing a wide range of tasks on the production side, and who was a considerable asset to his employers.

For those who do not know Northamptonshire, Burton Latimer, Finedon and Irthlingborough all lie very close to the major market town of Wellingborough, and so it was here that Geoff turned to for his leisure. He was a keen dancer and used to enjoy going to the various dance venues in the town. It was there in Wellingborough that he met his future wife, Janet. Geoff and Janet married on 7th December 1957, and a year later, their son Dale was born to complete the family.

It was a very happy marriage that was to last for almost 55 years before Janet passed away. The couple celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary in 2007 and the event was well attended by friends. Over the years, the family enjoyed many long weekends and holidays in the Mablethorpe area, and so the couple decided that when the time came to retire, they would relocate there. Part of the reason for that decision however was that Janet had started to develop that debilitating and progressive condition COPD - chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - and they felt that the sea air would be beneficial for her. They therefore moved to Mablethorpe in 1998, but then in 2004, they moved again to Marine Avenue West in Sutton-on-Sea.

Sadly, Janet’s condition continued to deteriorate and Geoff devoted himself to caring for her. He did so until she passed away four years ago, in 2012. It was after Janet had passed away that Geoff’s own health began to deteriorate however, his life was to take a turn for the better again the following year. Margaret was a near neighbour of Geoff’s, and she too had been widowed, her husband Dick having passed away a few months after Janet.

Margaret would walk her dog, Sam along Marine Avenue West, and if Geoff was in the garden, he would be accompanied by his poodle, Maisie. It was Maisie and Sam who started the introductions as they became firm canine friends, and Sam would never walk past until he and Maisie had exchanged a few tail wags. Whilst they did so, Geoff and Margaret would chat. They got on well together and things progressed to the point of Geoff inviting her in for a cup of tea. Becoming firm friends, Geoff offered to take Margaret out - oh, nowhere exotic but she had a dental appointment and Geoff offered to drive her there. Margaret was grateful and suggested afterwards that they should have some lunch together.

That was their first argument however. Margaret wanted to treat Geoff as a ‘thank you’ for driving her to the dentist. But Geoff had been brought up in the old fashioned way and thought it was his responsibility to treat her. In the end, they compromised, and went ‘dutch’ but their relationship progressed from there and they quickly became very close friends and constant companions. Geoff was happy once again.

It was a relationship that was warmly welcomed both by Geoff’s son, Dale and by Margaret’s daughter, Gill. They both were very pleased to see their surviving parent happy again.

Right from the start, Geoff was honest about his own health issues, and he certainly didn’t want to become a burden for Margaret. But Margaret was quite happy to care for Geoff. She saw that as an essential part of their relationship. Geoff and Margaret made each other very happy in the short time that they were together.

In April, Geoff had to undergo heart surgery in Hull. He was very upbeat about it because he knew that without surgery, his independence would have been threatened and he would no longer be able to enjoy a reasonable quality of life. Sadly, he had a stroke whilst he was in hospital which greatly weakened him. He was moved, first to the Diana Princess of Wales hospital in Grimsby and then to Louth County Hospital, where it was intended that he could recuperate properly before returning home. However, he acquired pneumonia whilst in hospital from which he did not recover, and he passed away on 6th August, after a total of fifteen weeks spent in hospital.

And whilst his passing will be raw for Dale and for Margaret they will draw some comfort from the knowledge that Geoff would not have been happy to be dependent upon others, and that therefore, his passing avoided a decline that would have resulted in this, a decline that would thus have left him unhappy.

So what sort of a man was Geoff?

He loved animals, from the dairy cows that he worked with during his farming days, to the various cats that Janet had the knack of rescuing during their life together. And of course, he really loved Masie, his little black poodle who kept him entertained for many years, and who became so familiar to all those who knew Geoff.

He loved gardening and he loved his garden and he enjoyed watching football on TV. He always supported the teams local to where he lived. Latterly, he was a Grimsby Town supporter, but never fell out with Margaret over this, even though she supports Lincoln City.

Geoff thoroughly enjoyed Margaret’s company and loved them going out together for meals.They did crosswords together, he would entertain Margaret by singing along to the music they played and he would even watch the occasional ‘soap’ with her, just because that was what she enjoyed.

He was a real gentleman and a true friend.

Finally, Margaret wants to say what a very happy two years she had with Geoff. He was the most thoughtful and caring person to be with.

She writes:

“We both liked doing crosswords and listening to music together, with Geoff singing away as he knew most of the words.

One day Gill and Keith took Geoff and me to Sandringham. It was the most beautiful day. We went round the house, museum and church and then for a nice meal. We both said it was one of the two days we would never forget.

The other was when Gill took us to see a friend who had just had her 100th birthday. She lived in a cottage surrounded by lawns and trees and Geoff thought the setting with the trees was just wonderful. That was the other day out that he couldn’t forget.

It was two years that neither of us thought we would ever have and I still can’t bear to think what my life will be like without him.

Thank you, Dale for putting up with me for all the miles and hours we have travelled together during the last fifteen weeks of Geoff’s life and also to Gill for the many times she has taken me to the hospital and to Ann and Tom for the times they have taken me.

Many thanks to all of you.

Geoff was always pleased to see them all.

Many, many thanks to all. - Margaret”