Other Tributes

16 Comments

We welcome any tributes or memories that you wish to share with us. We will make them “live” as soon as possible after the funeral service on 28th May 2020. Thank you. With love – Clive and Rob.

16 thoughts on “Other Tributes”

Vicki Heath

Writing my tribute to Jack, notebook in one hand, glass of wine in the other (purely for medicinal purposes) I’m ready to put my thoughts to paper.

I’ve written a masterpiece over and over in my mind. Deciding where to begin. Obviously the first bit would be meeting Jack. Then moving on to having a cup of tea and Tunnocks (Kit Kat if they are on special offer). Then Jack telling me stories of his life and all the memories he was so proud of. Showing me around where everything had pride of place. From pictures of Heather and him, the buttons and badges, model cars, the framed photo of Godstone House and a collection of other photos that made him smile. All came with a story he wanted to share.

So I open my notebook flicking through past thoughts in search of a fresh page. I stopped at the last one with writing and began to read.

19th April 4:05am

Dear Jack

The first time I met you, you opened the door and opened your heart to me. It never closed. There was a smile and a cuddle that got bigger every time I saw you. You never questioned or asked why, you just always gave a cuddle instead.

You opened your heart to me and made me into your family.

I never thanked you for all the loveliness you gave to me. I never gave you what I think maybe you wanted, for me to always say Dad instead of Jack.

In my heart, I love you Dad and that will always be.

I will do my best to make things okay here as long as you promise me you will make sure you are happy where you are.

You deserve it.

I love you

Yours truly

Vicki

My masterpiece was already written, it was just waiting for me.

Will miss you Dad.

All my love,

Vicki

p.s by the way, I prefer Kit Kats

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Bogdan Natarau

I met him only once in my life but it was enough to discover a very gentle and very friendly person. This is why I think it is a great loss for those close to him. All I can say is that those qualities that I saw in Mr. Jack I see every day in Clive and his family, qualities that are hard to find today. RIP Mr. Jack and take are of you and your family Clive.

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Matt Stone

Dear Jack,

Having known you all my life I thought writing down a tribute would be easy however I have been writing and rewriting this now and it still doesn’t say much.

Having been brought up as the inseparable troublesome pair Rob & I would spend endless hours as kids playing between our two houses. From an early age I learnt that if we may have pushed the patience of some of the neighbours then maybe speaking to you first before Heather may have been safer for us. These conversations usually took place when you were washing the cars and therefore we could calm the situation before the neighbours got on the phone. Clearly I will always blame Rob because he encouraged me (?!).

I will always remember your smiles and clear love for the whole of your family. The love and respect everyone has for you is evident and that is a reflection on how you treated everyone else.

As you can imagine there are many stories and ‘incidents’ I may have been party to with the naughty one of your sons. Many of which would never be shared with a parent however the respect I know Rob and Clive had for you meant that you became privy to Robs ‘confessions’!!

My best friend is a truly remarkable man and that is a testament to the incredible parents he had. I wish I had had the opportunity to tell you that in person however I know you were incredibly proud of both your boys and their accomplishments and wouldn’t need to be told.

As has already been said by both Rob and Clive, you will be sorely missed but now you will finally be able to be with the love of your life and you and Heather can finally be together again.

PS How could I ever forget to mention the memory of our party Rob & I had at number 19 while Jack and Heather were away for the weekend! They didn’t know about the party until Jack found a roll of undeveloped film sitting in a drawer several years later. Curiosity got the better of him and he had it developed! Jack saw the funny side of it (Heather less so …) but Jack, always being incredibly organised, was more impressed at how we had been able to fit the entire contents of downstairs into a small cupboard and the garden shed than be cross about it!!

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Pam Miles

God bless you Jack. xxx
Love from the Miles family .

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Ian Wing

Living next door to Jack I could always guarantee total security for our house when we went away. I have several family members who can testify to the speed and alacrity with which Jack’s head would appear over the fence if they ever ran the gauntlet of accessing our house by the side gate. Security conscious yes, but never a nosy neighbour. In fact a generous, helpful and caring soul who I’m already really missing.
So sad we won’t be seeing Jack any more out on hands and knees in his beloved garden ready to discuss another disappointing Preston North End result. Sadly missed.

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Pat and Colin Bridger

Jack was a good friend and a good neighbour, he will be missed.

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Suzanne Hall

I have no idea who arrived first on High Beeches, the Sheppards or the Halls, but I can’t remember a time without you. As kids we grew up together and Jack was one of the original neighbours who makes up such a large part of childhood memories. Parents often talk about their children differently when they are not around. All I can say is he only spoke well of both of you. Always took your side in good times and hard times, you couldn’t have asked for a prouder Dad. R.I.P. Jack

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Peter & Isabelle Burridge

Isabelle and I have so many memories of our brother-in-law Jack. Particularly my recall of the first time Jack appeared at Mount Grace Road (Heather’s family home).
His exploits with ‘PeeWee’, arriving for our family Christmas in their old standard car in snow without a windscreen! Jack enjoying telling us that, on the journey, at a traffic light, sticking his head out through the windscreen space to ask bemused passers-by for directions to Luton – very typical of his sense of fun.
And after their wedding, our visits to their Staines home. With Jack’s sense of humour we were always laughing .
Watching Jack play for his cricket club – impressive – and somewhat more productive than my scratchy innings. A shared holiday in a South Devon cottage.
Jack and Heather’s love for each other shone through. No wonder Jack was bereft when he lost Heather to cancer.
So many stories – but there will be a chance to share these in person when circumstances allow.
For now we will hold him in our memories with the sure hope of him being re-united with my sister Heather. God bless them both.
Peter and Isabelle

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- Amanda Godfrey
  
  I’m compelled to add to the PeeWee story. My father was husband to Jack’s older sister Jean. On one journey in PeeWee (notable for its missing windscreen), the two girls were in the back, Jack driving and my father in the front passenger seat. One of the chaps had been eating an apple and threw the core out of the front windscreen to the surprise of many nearby pedestrians. Of course, they waited to do this until they were at red traffic lights in order to enjoy the reactions of a larger audience!
  
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Hazel

Jack was true family man and also a very private man. His main aim was to make sure his family had a happy and safe life.

Heather was not only his dear wife but his best friend, sadly after her death he was lost. His boys became uppermost in his life then. When I popped over for a chat , I would hear about Rob and Clive and the ups and downs, but he knew I understood and would give him a hug. He was delighted when Clive and Mona got together and then the icing on the cake was when little Emma was born when he showed me the first photos he had tears in his eyes.

Next after some upsetting time, Rob introduced Vicki to him, he loved her straight away and thought that she was good for Rob. He said if Rob is happy so am I.

He was immensely proud of Both Clive and Rob.

So R.I.P Jack together with Heather ?

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Jenny Leigh

So here I am trying to put my thoughts down. At first, I must admit, I was a little worried. Every snapshot I recalled wasn’t just Uncle Jack, it has always been ‘Uncle Jack and Auntie Heather’. Then I realised that this is testimony to both of them and their strength together.
I stayed with the Sheppards for a couple of nights when I think I might have been about 7 or 8. They gave me a small, green book, called (rather optimistically I thought) “I Know My Tables”. I remember that I was slightly confused about why they were encouraging me to learning my tables. I’ve read Rob’s tribute and, 40 years on, I know why! It also took me ages to know them off-by-heart.
The times our families spent together when we were younger (a lot younger!) are filled with noise. The chatter, stories and reminisces never stopped and I always think of Uncle Jack and Auntie Heather with the ringing sound of laughter. We would laugh so hard tears would roll.

Here’s to family, love and laughter.
Here’s to Uncle Jack and Auntie Heather.

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Isabelle Burridge

Dear Clive & Rob
We have certainly been with you in spirit during the time of the cremation ceremony, and have found the music, prayers, and all the memories so moving. It was a joy to see all those photographs, particulary those we remember so well, when we were young, with our even younger children.
The time and care you’ve taken with this during this peculiar time of shut-down, is appreciated, making it possible for us all to unite over the ether.
THANK YOU SO MUCH – your Dad would be so proud of you (as we are!).
Isabelle

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Helen Parsons

I am writing this when we would, should, be with you at the service for Uncle Jack. It is more of a reminisce than a tribute. Like Jenny, I remember times we were together when the adults were together as units – usually being very noisy (alcohol fuelled I now recognise), playing monopoly or something long and boring at a table in the lounge while we played snooker in the dining room. Oh a snooker table was so sophisticated! I remember the match of the day music meant we’d have to go home soon: no doubt the three of us Burridges under sleeping bags in the back of our Cortina (again oh so sophisticated: gold with a brown top and sun roof too!).
I honestly never heard Rob known as ‘the naughty one’. I do remember staying at your house once doing Olevel revision and Rob, you took your bike completely apart. Auntie Heather told me you’d be able to put it all back together and you did. I thought that was awesome! We’re a family of instruction manual readers. At that time Clive had a poster of a tennis player on the back of his door with her skirt pulled up showing her bum – I found that confusing. So maybe Clive was the naughty one?!

The last time we saw your Dad was at James’ wedding. He recognised your Mum’s broach (which I’m wearing today) and couldn’t get over how much my daughter looked like your Mum when younger. That really brought home just how devoted he was to Auntie Heather. In all the loud, noisiness of those lovely childhood times, we didn’t recognise that they were the result of our respective parents’ devotion to each other: we just took it for granted. What a gift that was.
Love to you both and see you soon xxx

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Jill Dickson

Thank you, Clive and Robert, for giving us the opportunity to say goodbye to Jack, our much loved brother in law and Uncle.

Yes, I have shed tears this morning, listening to music that was played at Heather’s funeral too, but I am smiling now, remembering all the fun times we had.
It was on one day in 1958 that I jumped in the car with our Dad and Heather, to drive to Luton station to collect her boyfriend Jack and bring him home to meet the family. After their lovely wedding on 15th October 1960, we all enjoyed happy Christmases, hilarious card games, family picnics and so much more.
There are cherished memories of all kinds of family events and then, inevitably, I remember Jack’s total commitment to Heather as she fought the ravages of cancer. Their marriage was long and happy and I pray that Jack’s fervent wish to be reunited with Heather has come true.
May you rest in peace Jack – with love from all the Dicksons. xxxx

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Linzi Park

Thank you Clive and Rob (yes Rob you were known as “the naughty one” in our house too)
I spent some time with mum in the garden today (socially distancing of course) together with my daughter Willow, following the service, reading her the lovely tributes and sharing memories of her brother Jack and also of their sister Jean. She really enjoyed looking at the old photos and remembered times shared particularly at The Corner House in Godstone during the war.

My lasting memories would be of Boxing days spent together with Jack, Heather, Clive and Rob and Jean, Ray and Amanda all crammed around our dining room table for lunch.
Raising a glass to you today Uncle Jack
Rest in Peace
Linzi

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Mona

Back in 2015, some 4 years after Clive settled permanently in Romania, Jack finally accepted our invitation to come and visit. Naturally we were delighted but also a little surprised as, after Heather died, he didn’t really like to travel or change his familiar environment for more than a day or two. After some thought, I realized he didn’t really see the visit as a vacation, he was more on a mission – the mission to satisfy himself that his son is leading a good life in Romania. It really melted my heart to see that, no matter how mature Clive is, in his father’s eyes he will always be his child. And this is how he saw me, as a child (an adopted one) who needs to be taken care of. After a few days with us he asked Clive if I wasn’t working too hard! That really impressed me, because this is the sort of thing only my Mum would notice and be worried about!

During his visit to Bucharest we invited him to a terrace, overlooking a beautiful sunset on a lake, for ice-cream and drinks. When we arrived we were offered some not very comfortable metal chairs to sit in. The terrace also had a VIP area, with big comfortable sofas, right by the water and of course I wanted us to sit there to make Clive’s Dad feel good and relaxed. The owners of the terrace said that we couldn’t sit there because that area was reserved for a big group of VIPs that were ‘expected at any minute’. Both Clive and I were sure that this was just a cover story and in reality the owners just couldn’t be bothered to open up that part of the terrace.

As is my way (Clive will confirm), I insisted, and insisted, and insisted! In the end it worked, we got to stretch out on the sofas and it was lovely – the condition was that we could only sit there until the group arrived. Even though Jack didn’t understand a word of Romanian he said to Clive ‘Wow, this one knows how to stand up for herself – just like Heather used to!’ We stayed for several hours until the terrace closed and it was no surprise to us locals that no ‘big group of VIPs’ ever arrived. Each time any of the staff came over to us that evening we would playfully ask them if the big group had arrived yet and pretend to get ready to move. They just looked a bit embarrassed and said ‘no, not yet’. By the end of his stay Jack knew that Clive is well taken care of and that he has someone to stand up for him.

Now, when we part ways with him, I would like to assure him that his beloved son is not an orphan here in Romania, he has Emma and I, and a lot of friends who love and treasure him.

Safe journey to the stars, dear Jack!

Lots of love,
Emma and Mona

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16 thoughts on “Other Tributes”

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