Jeffrey Kirkland (16 May 1940 - 7 Jan 2015)

Dad was born in Belper to Alice and John Kirkland and had a younger brother, Richard. He attended Belper Grammar School. He married Gill in the 1960's and moved to Stonebroom.

He trained as an accountant for a while before setting up his own business selling haberdashery on outdoor markets. Together with my Mum, he secured two permanent indoor market stalls in Derby in The Eagle Centre Market and The Market Hall, which they called the Hook & Eye, before moving into a large shop on the Corn Exchange in Derby in 1985.

He sold the business and retired at an early age to enjoy his hobbies of attending the horse races, watching sports on TV, having a bet and having a drink in the evenings with his friends. He enjoyed a good drop of G&T and brandy and spent many a night talking sport and politics with my husband over a few drinks.

During the early years of his retirement he spent many months of the year in Spain with my Mum, enjoying the mild winters and made some good friends.

Dad was a loving and very caring father who was always there to offer help, advice or a solution to a problem and in recent times had been a wonderful granddad to my daughter Emily. He was very straight forward and matter of fact about everything in life and didn't like fuss.

He will be missed very much by all of us but he did say to me not to be sad and he would definitely want us all to 'get on with it' and enjoy our lives, and we shall, with the lovely memories he has helped to create with us to keep us going.

A note from Jeff's granddaughter:

Grandad was a good man, he wanted me, my mum and my dad to be happy and many other people as well. I will always remember him sitting in his armchair fast asleep and I would make him jump by shouting grandad. That is something that I will never forget for as long as I live. He was a very kind man. He never wanted me and my family to worry over him, he just wanted us to enjoy our lives.