Mary and Andrew Nelson
I have known John for well over forty years and have many happy memories of him. The one that makes me smile the most is when John, Pat, Clare and Tom shared a holiday with our family and Drew in the Ardennes. We went kayaking one day but the weather turned cold and wet and most of us were happy to retire from the event. Not John, his usual dogged determination spurred him on to continue. Andrew Hale volunteered to keep him company and the two of them set off on the final leg of the kayaking course. All was going well until they reached an infamous weir in the river. John’s determination again shone through and he insisted that he and Andrew navigated the weir in a particular way. Unfortunately determination was not enough and the pair of them ended up in the water. As they looked up at the bystanders on the bank they saw their group of family and friends giggling and laughing helplessly at the scene. Despite all it was a splendid holiday.
Rest in true peace John, love to Pat, Clare and Tom from Mary, Andrew, Tom and Dan all of us cherish our memories of John.