Dad’s Eulogy
 
Dad was so many things to so many people throughout his life: engineer, mechanic, driver, home group leader, preacher, gardener (yes, he did that when called for in spite of his chronic hayfever!), work colleague, teacher, curry eater, decorator (only under protest), Morris owner, photographer, advisor and friend. However, his character, commitment and the practical demonstration of the love of God for others were the common factors in everything he said and did.
Those rare but priceless traits were not just assumed when required to enhance his popularity, he lived them, sometimes to his detriment because he always stuck to his principles, even when things were tough or it made him unpopular. He was determined to be the salt of the earth and do what he knew in his heart to be right.
We are here to share something of what it was like to be part of his family. Mum and Dad loved one another without reservation and their relationship was a blessing to us and all who witnessed it. Pete, Becs and myself are all very fortunate and very proud to be their children.  In spite of Dad’s strict upbringing, he became someone that would listen without prejudice, meet you in whatever difficult place you might find yourself and offer his unflinching support to get you through it. It is funny how you spend the first half of your life trying to be anything but like your old man, then, having discovered for yourself what a tough gig it is, doing your utmost to get somewhere near as good at it as he was!
Dad was a practical man.  If there was a problem, he would decide what needed to be done and get on with it.  He was never motivated by money, but with mum’s support, he worked exceptionally hard to keep a roof over our heads, put food on the table, give us all an education and a holiday each year.  This led to some great opportunities to hang out with dad and share a common experience even when we were going through those tough teenage years.  One of my highlights was riding shotgun on the engine cover of a 39 seater Bedford coach, whilst driving to Blackpool and back to see the illuminations. The whole round trip took about 28 hours during which time dad would get about 3 hours kip on the back seat, a constant supply of black coffee and sparkling conversation from yours truly!
Dad was a stickler for table manners, if we dared eat with our mouths open or put our elbows on the table, the instant response was ‘you wouldn’t eat like that in front of the Queen’. To this day, I think we are all confident that should we be lucky enough to get an invitation to the palace, we would be able to hold our own. That said, it did not stop him from joining in the odd food fight.  A little known fact is that Dad was a master of the mashed potato fork flick! Luckily he had previously fitted Floatex carpet in the dining room, though maybe luck had nothing to do with it and it was just forward planning…?
Dad’s best action man moments came on family holidays.  He was an accomplished camper and had absolutely every bit of kit for every conceivable emergency.  He saved the church holiday to the Dales Bible Week in the 80’s. When torrential rain flooded everyone out, they all came and bedded down in our tent, anchored as it was, with industrial strength guy ropes and pegs, perfectly pitched on high ground and oriented against the prevailing weather conditions… but most importantly it was big enough to sleep 18! - he never did anything by halves..
His Batman-like leap for the prow deck of our narrowboat when it slipped its moorings, falling agonisingly short and landing waist deep in the canal is legendary, as is the time that descending the Hard Knot Pass, having spotted the perfect photo opportunity, he didn’t let the fact that the handbrake cable had snapped put him off pulling over to take advantage.  With one foot on the brake and the other on the ground outside the driver’s door as we peered out of the windows at the sheer drop beside and in front, he calmly took the photo, got back into the driving seat and proceeded down the mountain as if he did that every day.
I am sure that like us, everyone here has their favourite Marcus story. Please share those memories by writing them up on the donations page or in the book of condolence, because we would hate for them to be lost.  Hopefully those stories will encourage and inspire others and be happy reminders to his friends and family.
In an age when fatherhood is undervalued and as a result the perception of God the Father has become distorted and undermined, our Dad left us a legacy that will endure.  He did his best to lead by example and we have to attribute our successes to his example.  Even when life gave him lemons, with God’s help, Dad made lemonade.  I think that I can safely say that at the end of a life well lived, he left the small corner of the world that was entrusted to him, in a better condition than when he found it.
Thank You.
Jonathan Ward 13th April 2021