Edward Swain

Thank you for everything that you taught me Pa, you have been by my side for my whole life and I can only thank you for every omelette, chicken pie, big fat chip, and memory you gave me.
I love you loads and I hope you're in a more peaceful place now.

Jacob

Dad, where to start... thank you for always being there for me, for driving me miles to my ballet classes, for patiently sewing my costumes, for creating dens, dolls houses and cakes galore for your grandchildren, for buying me the best sausage rolls when I was poorly.... Everywhere I look, I see your hand, blood sweat and tears to build things for us and create a beautiful home, normally accompanied by your motto 'I make it up as I go along'! You taught us so much, always so willing to share your wisdom and ideas, I will miss you more than you know, if I could have taken away your pain, I would have...love you to the moon and back ❤️

Grandpa

Over the past years, I've discovered how life can take a terrible toll on people. I've also come to understand that the measure of a persons character doesn't come from how they act when they've faced a life of ease, but when they've faced a life of challenges.

Pa did not have a life of ease, he grew up without a father, at a time when our nation was still recovering from war. He joined the army where he distinguished himself, but faced the horrors of war, horrors we could scarcely imagine.

These things would be enough to break a great many people, and I believe in some ways, they did break him, but he retained something many people lose: a boundless ability to love.

Shortly before he passed, I visited him in hospital. It happened to be my birthday, and despite his lungs being filled with fluid, despite his struggling to breathe, he still whispered "happy birthday" to me. That was the kind of person he was. He loved intensely, excessively sometimes, often clumsily, and even to fault, but he always loved.

He was an imperfect man, but in the book of Peter, chapter 4, verse 8, we are instructed "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins".

He always did, and His love shaped each of us, he supported our passions, comforted us in difficult times, fed us unbelievably large omelettes, and an unreasonably large selection of fried foods. He built things for us, from parachute tents to dolls houses, he taught us new skills, gave us new perspectives.

I know my life would likely not have taken the course it did if it weren't for him, and I believe we can all say the same. It is easy to be sad today, because we've lost a person who mattered deeply to us. It feels hard to celebrate his life, because the end was so difficult, but to fail to do so would be to ignore what made him such an amazing person.

He saw his two daughters grow up to build beautiful families of their own, he nurtured and cared deeply for his grandchildren, and watched them, too, grow up and go out into the world. In the face of pain and loss, he continued invariably to choose to love.

In the times of struggle that lay ahead for each of us, we can honour his memory by heeding this example, and choosing to love. I'd like to end with a quote from the book of Corinthians, Chapter 9, verse 7: "Each must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." And Pa, he always was.

Will miss you so very much my darling "Pa" thankyou for all the memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Thank you for all the happiness and laughter you brought to the family.Thank you for your service to your country and thank you for making the best fried chicken and "Big fat chips"
Be at peace now, we all love you Xxx

To Claudia, Steve, Jordan, Josh, Francesca and Jacob, on behalf of Julie and myself we feel your terrible pain. Hopefully you can take a modicum of consolation that Ed's suffering was mercifully short. To you he was a dear father and grandfather, to us he was a friend as well as a brother in law, valued and loved. He will be missed.
On a personal note, from one grunt to another, the ultimate in respect.