John Hughes (12 Dec 1945 - 29 Jun 2021)

In loving memory of John Hughes who sadly passed away on 29th June 2021

Writted by Jonathan Hughes on behalf of the Hughes family.

My Dad was born in Crook, County Durham at the end of 1945.
John, or 'Jackie' as he was known in his North Eastern family was one of 4 children, my Uncle Bob, Uncle Stephen and his beloved sister, my Auntie Winnie.
He met my Mum Velma and told her very soon after that he was going to marry her, she told him not to be daft but he was determined and they were married in 1969 and had two children, me and my brother Richard.
Jackie always had high aspirations, after time spent in the army, he tried his hand in sales which he found was his true calling as it required him to use his quick wit and keen commercial mind and in this he flourished.
I can always remember the sales improvement books at home, teaching sales techniques, negotiation skills and the like, all well thumbed and usually missing a couple of pages.
Dad had a varied career working in the toy industry, owning 3 toy shops before becoming General Manager of a Christmas decoration company in Lambourn, Berkshire which meant our family had to relocate from the north to the south of England.
In typical John Hughes fashion, after a few years he decided that he wanted to make his own way and with his business partners Alison and Jim he started his own Christmas decoration business - The Paragon Collection.
The business flourished over the next few years but unfortunately due to ill health John decided to retire and the company was sold, which allowed plenty of time for his next love....golf.
Obviously golf can only occupy so much time in retirement so he decided to start a Charity to raise funds to support research into Head and Neck cancer something which he had himself suffered from. He assembled a team (including my Mum) and they went on to organise charity golf days, tribute nights and other events raising tens of thousands of pounds every year.
John, Dad or Gramps as he was known by the family saw his family grow, I married Helen and my brother Richard married Usoa, we both went on to have 3 children each and he was immensly proud of them all.
Over the years his illnesses started to take their toll and he grew increasingly frail, but battling hard and as always with that optimistic outlook which kept him going even when the doctors told him he should no longer be here. He delighted in telling everyone he was 'still here' every time they asked.
I could write and write about his numerous achievements, his frankly unbelievable antics and his positive outlook on life but in the end he was simply my Dad and that was enough for me.
Rest in Peace Dad.