Andrew Robin Acton (27 Jun 1963 - 27 Nov 2020)

Andy's funeral will be held on Tuesday 29th December 2020 at Southend Crematorium at 3.20pm. Due to Covid restrictions we are only able to have 30 attendees at Andy's Funeral Service and unfortunately this means that many of you will not be able to be with us on the day. We are hoping that in the Spring, (once restrictions have lifted fingers crossed) to have a gathering at home where we can get together with everyone who knew Andy to celebrate his life. We have, however, been granted a web cast of the service so, any one that wants to can 'virtually' be part of ceremony with us.
To access the webcast please go to the following website : https://www.obitus.com/
and login using the following:
Username: Huto8770
Password: 403121

In loving memory of Andrew Robin Acton who sadly passed away on 27th November 2020

After surviving a quadruple heart bypass operation in 2012, we really thought that Andy had come through his major health problems and was looking to a bright future where he was planning on taking early retirement so that he could undertake some much needed work on the house and then looking forward to travelling, nowhere exotic, just around the UK. The Highlands was top on our ‘bucket list’ of places we wanted to go in our motorhome but unfortunately that was not to be. After suffering with lower back pain for a year which then moved to his right hip and made walking painful, Andy was diagnosed with kidney cancer last year and had an operation to remove the affected kidney just before Christmas. 2019. All was going ok with regards to him recovering from this surgery but in March this year, after a routine scan, he was told that in fact the cancer had spread to his bone and one of his lungs, and the doctors felt, even at that stage, that it wasn’t curable. We knew that this terrible disease was going to shorten his life but we did not realise that it would take him from us so quickly. In the middle of the Corona Virus lockdown things were far from easy, like so many others, but we were together and that’s all that mattered and for that we are grateful. We managed to fit in a few more breaks away once the lockdown restrictions were lifted and whilst Andy was really poorly, suffering from the side effects of his chemotherapy treatment on most of the trips, we still managed to have some fun.

Andy captured my heart from the first time i met him. In essence he was a guy that had a real ‘twinkle’ in his eye and a mischievousness in his smile. He was a loving father, partner, step-dad, brother, brother in-law, uncle and friend He was fun to be around and to me his was my friend and my soul mate. He loved his family and was so proud of his boys Harvey, Oscar and Felix. He had a heart of gold and always had time to do anything for anybody. Sometimes his life was harder than it needed to be but he filled his life doing the things he loved with the people he loved most and I hope that each of you reading this will be able to recall a special time when you know that to be true.

When thinking about what charity we would like to support in memory of Andy, asking you to generously donate the money that you may have spent on flowers, there really are so many who desperately need your support. But, on a hugely personal level, we have chosen to support the Palliative Care Team from Havens Hospice at Home. When Andy was discharged from hospital, the last time, knowing that he was coming home for however long he had left, the hospice at home team where there. Straight away, from the moment they stepped through the door they made a tremendously difficult time a little easier. Their professionalism is exemplary but they worked with us on an incredibly personal level too. The nurses who visited us at the house, up to 4 times a day if needed, were lovely. They came in for less than a week but in that short time they helped us beyond measure. They were true Angels. I really don’t know where we would have been without them. I know this is a difficult time for everyone at the moment but for us, the fact that we were not able to access the full support of agencies that we should have been able to, meant we felt incredibly isolated at times and not being able to see friends and family as frequently as we wanted was incredibly hard. The friendliness and compassion that we were given was a welcome distraction from the inevitable outcome that we knew was coming and we still managed to smile and laugh which was hugely important, and still is.

Thank you in advance for any contribution you can make, however small to Havens Hospice at Home. It will ensure that they can continue to offer amazing support to other families going through tough times.