I would like to thankyou for taking the time to visit Noel's page and make a donation towards Dementia Uk

This part asks you to write a story about your loved one, However it is hard to think of something that will do justice to the 84 years that he has been on this Earth.

Really, Do I know enough about these 84 years? Probably not. I can't tell you what his life was like when he was a young boy or even some of the things as he got older. I only know a little bit about his courtship to my Nan and their wedding and even less about his working life.

But I, along with my cousins have had the greatest of luck being able to call him our Grandad.

And really, is there any better title that can be bestowed onto a man than Grandad (Gramps)?

Grandad was very much the behind the scenes character. He would be the one cooking in the kitchen whilst we played with Nan in the front room, or if there was a party he'd be upstairs playing on his piano or just sitting in his chair watching with a big smile on his face. But I realise now that although he may not have been the centre of attention when it came to big family events, he was part of the foundation of our family.

But this isn't to say that we weren't close to Grandad. I have had some of the best memories with him, And when we were alone or it was just him and the grandchildren he would always make sure that we had something to remember. Whether it was taking us on a trip somewhere or just playing games at home, he always made sure that we were happy.

One thing he loved to do with us was make cakes and I think we all learnt that Grandad propably had a sweet tooth bigger than any of us. As it would usually be him that licked the most part of the bowl whilst we had to share the spoon. But he would always make up for it by buying us a chocolate bar from the shop when he went and got his newspaper.

Grandad always wanted to know about things we were getting up to at school, and if he could try and help us with our homework, which never went well as he would try and teach us something that he had learnt almost 60years ago. But if you ask for help with something that he knew well, french, you would inevitably be sat at the table for a while listening to him go on in some other language in which you had no idea what he was saying. But nodded on smiling and hope that soon enough he'd stop and actually help you.

But as I said before Grandad had the ability to make sure that everyone was okay, and over this period we have shared each others memories of him and each of our perceptions of him were very similar. I think the same would be said for most people that knew him. Grandad had the ability to make you feel like you were the most important person in his life.

He made time to attend all the big events in our lives, but it was the smallest of moments that Grandad truly made you feel special. I hope I never forget the way he said our names when he saw us. There was a ring in his voice and a smile on his face that left no doubt in your mind that he wasn't pleased to see you.

I wonder now when Grandad was young if he ever imagined having a family that showed him so much love and respect as we all do now. I don't know the answer to this question, but I would like to think that the reality of his life was much better than anything he could have imagine when he was younger.

This week has been hard on all of us and each of us feel an empitness now that he has gone.

But to my Nan, parents, aunty, uncle, sibilings, cousins and friends we have to look at what we have right now and thank Grandad for being part of it. This family is he legacy and we are all part of it.

 

Now after reading all of that it is even harder knowing that you've lost someone to dementia, especially as everything we have remembered about him has gone from his memory. We watched him slowly forget everything that he knew. But through the strength of my Nan she made sure that he was happy. And im sure that he was as he always had a smile on his face.

However, some people that have this conditon don't have the devoted wife that my grandad had or a strong family to help them through it so I would like to ask you to donate money to Dementia UK so they can help more people like Grandad. I know that he never would have wanted this disease but he also wouldn't have wanted other people to have it either. So for him donate as much as you can.