My Uncle Tom Died Today, He Was 70 years Old

RIP Uncle Tom

As a little boy of 2 and 3, I was actually a little scared of my Uncle Tommy - he had a beard and a loud voice! He used to call me ‘Polo’.

The first thing anyone would notice about Tom would be that he had a pronounced limp. He was often in a lot of pain with this, in his later years he could only walk short distances, but he would never complain. We could all learn a thing or two from Tom about how to put up with life’s troubles in a cheerful way.

The next thing you’d be aware of would be how funny he was, with his big booming voice, and razor sharp wit. He loved a laugh, and was always the first to see the humour in anything.

He was a kind, generous, and above all, funny man. All will remember that despite his lifelong disabilities, he was always the funniest guy in the room. He was never depressed about his situation, and could laugh and joke at anything life would throw at him.

I think it’s important that you keep in touch with people you’ve known since you were aged zero. It means a lot. I’ve lost one of mine today. Uncle Tom has always been my Uncle Tom. He’s always been a part of my life. His two daughters, Lisa and Joanne are as close as sisters to me, and I know how upset they’ll be. His son, Dave, worshipped his Dad, and I can’t even imagine how upset Dave will be. Devastated won’t cover it.

He had a big family, with many brothers and sisters, and was a granddad several times over. There will be a lot of tears in East Hull today. There’s been some in South Korea too.

Rest in peace Uncle Tom. I know I’ll never hear your voice again, and that hurts, but you were so kind to all of us. You were an inspiration, and you have left us with so many great and funny memories.

Love you,

Polo.