Our Dad, George Derek Pickering, sadly passed away on Sunday 26th April in Belgium,  having battled with Parkinson's Disease for over 10 years.  

Derek, he liked to be called, even by us, and Derek he was, as in Hebrew his name means "The Way". And he always did do things in his own unique and individual way.  He was the father who was stopped by the Guards in Ireland for driving too slowly whilst doing the crossword and drinking tea, with Parsifal or Falstaff no doubt blaring out of the windows. 

He chose, for most of his life, to live abroad but always with a most cryptic crossword to hand and a jar of marmite in the fridge.  It is, perhaps, not surprising that all four of us were given different nationalities - one Australian, one American, one British and one Irish.  Such fun it was confounding officials at passport control.

Whilst he loved to travel, in later years his greatest pleasure was walking for miles on a remote sandy beach in the very North of Scotland, a place that held precious memories of his childhood and happy times with his family, particularly his sisters, mother and grandmother. 

Over time it became increasingly difficult to navigate the stones to get down onto the beach and little by little everything else became a struggle too, even the little things, especially the little things. Parkinson's is a cruel and debilitating disease that gradually takes away your independence and the ability to do what you love and enjoy. 

In 1965,  before travelling the world,  Derek graduated from the University of Sheffield with a PhD in Metallurgy and a store of fantastic memories of his time there.  It is also where he met our mother, also a graduate of Sheffield University. 

Today, Sheffield University is conducting pioneering research and making some great advances in finding a new way forward in the treatment of this awful disease.  Any support you can give will be gratefully received.

A loving Dad and Grandpa, he will be deeply missed by us all.  

Thank you 

Rachel, Rebecca, Daniel and David