A Tribute to Grandad David

It is with a heavy heart I’m sharing that my beloved father-in-law, David, passed away in South Africa yesterday at the age of 89.

We all adored David, he was a loving husband to Grandma Fifi and father to his 4 sons; he was a stoic, no-nonsense, crossword-loving, smart and caring man with strong ethics and no time for tittle tattle. He possessed an awe-inspiring imagination too which served him well as an inventor in his younger years.

I feel so lucky to have had a second father in David and to have had the priviledge of calling him Daddy.

The pride David held for his ever-growing family: his sons and grandsons in particular, was plain for all to see. His pale blue eyes would light up and glisten like the South African sea at sunset (especially if cake was involved) and whenever he wound one of us up with his brilliant sense of humour. There really was no one quite like David.

We are grateful that despite the geographical distance between us all, we shared many magical memories over the years both here in the UK and on trips to South Africa, most recently in Cape Town, pre-Pandemic.

My only wish was that he would have met his granddaughter who is due this winter as he had always wanted to add a daughter to his 4-strong brood of boys. I’m so glad he knew about my pregnancy and the fact we are expecting a girl.

This baby will, of course, know her grandfather as we will keep his memory alive, and honour his life as she grows up, and David will continue to live on in her, and his family.

Oliver, my eldest son, who is 11, looks exactly like David’s as a child (David was part Parisian and part English) and he has also inherited his personality. Mature, sporty and celebral, I hope Oliver grows up to be as noble a man as David was.

Xander too deeply loved his Grandad and on hearing the sad news yesterday, quickly penned and sung a moving song in his memory that he insisted on whispering.

Today, after school he told me that a man-shaped cloud who resembled Grandad David waved at him from the sky.

David, you will be forever in our hearts and we will search for you when we look out into the sea and up high in the sky.

Rest in Peace x