13. Engineer

My Grandad passed away in October and I wrote the following eulogy for the funeral:

Ray was a man of simple pleasures. He liked nothing more than smoking his pipe, eating a tasty meal or reading a book. He was a designer, an engineer, a fixer, mender and a tinkerer - always prolonging the life of everything he owned, re-using and recycling at every opportunity. He would find solutions to problems that nobody else would think of, breathing new life over seemingly decrepit and dormant items. This innovative and frugal attitude is perhaps something his generation were the last to own, in stark contrast to the current era of consumerism, borrowing and overspending. 

He could always be found in his garage working on something using his vast array of tools, or fixing his car - in an era when it was still possible to do so. In his working life as a Design Engineer he worked on projects all over the globe, producing almost inconceivable engineering feats. His attention to detail, steady hand and amazing mind made him an asset to the engineering world. I often wonder what he would be doing with that great mind if he had his time now - with all the amazing computer software and other technology we have available to us now. 

 

He was a very fit and active man, always busy doing something and always dressed smartly - he even wore smart shirt and jeans on a hot summers day to mow the lawn! The garden was always pristine, and full of local birds that he and Jean liked to feed as much as possible. He loved all animals and was arguably the Doctor Doolittle of Dronfield - constantly surrounded by birds in the garden, budgies and family dogs.

Ray was incredibly kind and generous and would do anything for his family and friends - nothing was too much trouble. He did everything from offering lifts to helping to build a house for us and everything in between. This generosity and love will never be forgotten by any of us.