Eulogy for Dad 23rd May 2024
Gerald Howarth’s Wanderlust with Wheelsand Water
Written by Carole with additional material supplied by Dillonand Ginny
 
The hymn “Eternal Father” we have just sung to open this service was Dad’s favourite. He said he used to sing it as loud as he could, when he was a choir boy with his grandad Ben at St James Church, because it was during WWII and lots of ships were being lost at sea.
 
Gerald Howarth was born in Farnsworth, Lancashire in December1933… indeed we finally had his 90th celebration just over a month ago. I wonder if Dad saw it then, as a time to say good-bye … he had a wonderful time with you all and enjoyed himself enormously. A little unsteady on his feet, he was in his last set of wheels, Mum’s wheelchair.
 
His first set of wheels, however, was his tricycle at 3 years old, where he initially found freedom and wanderlust. His frantic parents seeing he had ridden off, eventually found him at what became his favourite place, Granny Wharton’s. They had a close relationship and she influenced his early years, greatly.
 
Although he despaired of his baby brother, David, because he often had to take him out in his pram, he soon discovered the joys of faster wheels, going to the top of the steepest roads, jumping on the pram frame, for an exhilarating ride down, whilst ignoring the screams of terror emanating from the pram! He was always very fond of David and over the last 8 years, Ginny said he talked about him more than anyone else.
 
A keen cyclist in his youth, Dad would think nothing of jumping on his single-gear bike on a Saturday morning and cycling down to North Wales, covering between100 and 200 miles in a single day. He even persuaded Mum to go on a tandem cycling holiday down to North Devon. They nearly crashed going downhill into Lynmouth. The brakes were failing, smoking rubber…no grip… “Sheila jump off quick!” Dad yelled at her, and although he managed to get the bike back under control … he was not flavour of the month!Amazingly, they went on to over 62 years of marriage, where Mum trusted Dad implicitly.
 
They married at a young age, creating Sue as the ‘excuse’ as both their parents initially refused … Living in Collier’s Row up on Winter Hill, with no television I unfortunately came along exactly a year after Sue. They couldn’t afford any extras and had to walk between bus stops to save enough to have a Crunchie Bar treat on a Friday night! This was during Dad’s 4-year apprenticeship with United Ebonite & Lorival … Dad specialising in plastics when the industry began.
 
Dad’s first proper job was in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, but still without TV, Dillon was born there. Mum & Dad moved around wherever Dad’s job provided advancement.
 
Finances improved, when Dad joined Delarue in London,making formica laminates. Dad’s new wheels were a Lambretta 125 scooter to commute between Sunbury and Wandsworth for 5 years. During this period, lifelong friends were made with the Stapletons and Spencers, (two couplesboth called Alan & Sheila) normally over a bridge table or on a tennis court! The Stapleton’s son, Peter is here with us today, a testament to over 65 years of friendship. Sadly, Sheila Spencer, passed away on 7th May, 6 days after Dad. The couples can now be reunited, for more bridge and tennis!
 
In 1963, another upward move to Chesham Mouldings, during the early days of the plastic pipe industry. Dad, ever thrifty, instead of throwing away the offcuts, built a garden fence with 5 inch grey pipes, using us children as labourers! Actually, it’s a testament to his building skills that the fence is still standing, when he visited Chesham a couple of years ago. 
Having a TV now in their lives, Alison arrived nearly 8 years after Dillon! 
During Mum’s pregnancy, … on a cold winter’s evening, Dad with Beverly & Val Fallows invented a new word for the English language. They agreed it had to sound northern and a short time after encouraging everyone they knew to use“grotty”, the Beatles immortalised it for them during a TV interview and then in their film “A Hard Day’s Night” in 1964.
 
Next was Portugal, after seeing a job advert, running a plastics factory just outside Lisbon. Unfortunately, after 6 months of ‘hand to mouth existence’, with little or no salary coming in Dad decided to “do a moonlight-flit” back to Britain. Uncertain of how the authorities would view his desertion … they put out the story we were off to the Algarve for a holiday, needing many household items as the apartment was unfurnished. So, loading everything up in Alison’s baby wardrobe (covered in teddy-bear transfers) they slid it through the window, onto the roof rack of their trusty Rover 75wheels. When the roof began to cave in, Dad stopped by a walled cemetery in the countryside to ditch the wardrobe, he and Mum piling everything inside, being watched by a couple of hitchhikers. The remainder of the journey to England was a bit fraught with a hole punched through a shatteredwindscreen (happening somewhere in Spain.) That and screaming baby Alison at customs, helped wave us through!
 
Dad then found a technical advisory job with BP plastics, liaising with customers about their extrusion problems. Living in Chinnor for 5 years, (1965-70), Dad had a company car for his wanderlust-wheels, travelling thousands of miles around the country, but he graduated to building a Mirror dinghy.
 
BP then moved Dad to S. Wales, … the Mirror dinghy came, too and had her maiden voyage near Aberthaw Power Station in the Bristol Channel, unfortunately hitting a solitary spike… Oops! After managing to get ashore, the dinghy was repaired and became a family accessory to all holidays, (usually with Dad shouting at us as crew!)
In Sigginstone, the family were also pressed into building yet another garden wall as thrifty Dad refused to hire a cement mixer! That, too is still standing.
 
In 1975, Dad and Mum took the plunge and bought a café in Dartmouth, finally working for themselves, adapting quickly and when time allowed, Dad went sailing and fishing with Mum in the dinghy. He also realised his dream of owning ayacht, replacing his wheels for water! (Ask Dillon about his wanderlust Atlantic voyage with Chay Blythe!)
 
After the ubiquitous 5 years … things changed again … Dad moved into the cast aluminium nameplate business, which although slow to start, went from strength to strength all the way to his retirement. He and Mum were particularly proud ofsupplying the Duchy of Cornwall’s 95 farms.
 
Not only a scientist in terms of his technical background, Dad was also an artist. He’d make moulds for many of the plates and emblems he used. Dad’s wanderlust was necessary in travelling around to all the major agricultural shows, in his specially adapted cottage-style trailer to sell the plates. 
He and Mum carried on sailing holidays with their friends, especially Don & Sue, but they also went on many cruises.
 
After retirement, Dad took on more responsibility with Mum, as her carer; inventing, constructing and adapting various contraptions to help her cope with increasing levels of disability, to remain in her own home but they still wenttravelling together. During this phase he also began painting with Mum … one of his watercolours decorates the back of the Thanksgiving brochure.
Not one to sit idly by, he also threw himself into woodturning, spending many hours pottering about in his garage workshop, covered in wood dust and shavings. He mastered the craft, turning out high quality products of all shapes and sizes, giving freely to family and friends. The unfinished piece you see on his coffin will go with him today, so he will be able to complete it at his leisure. 
 
When Mum finally succumbed to her increasing illnesses and passed away in 2015, Dad was at a loss, but carried on pottering in his garage. Mum had asked Ginny to keep an eye on him after she was gone and cheer him up, if she could. After a lonely winter for Dad, she often walked by with the dog and they fell to chatting, in his workshop. Finding they had much in common, their friendship developed into a close and companionable relationship, where they went on many excursions around the country together … with Dad showing her all the places he had lived and telling her all his stories.
 
Dad always said he would live to 96 years old and with Ginnyas his companion, they managed to cram 14-years-worth of excursions and experiences into the last 8 and a half years of his life. The constant attention she gave Dad, kept him going happily over the years, so Dad was able to stay independent in the home he had created with Mum over 40 years ago. 
 
Naturally, we are all very grateful for everything she did for Dad … from encouraging him to still go out exploring, despite being down over Sue’s death, … to travelling over 100 miles a day in between her jobs to look out for Dad in his final days in hospital. It all demonstrated the love and depth of their relationship. This is shown in the photo of Dad taken by her on a lake in Cwmbran. Dad’s look of love says it all. He was lucky to have loved and been loved twice in his life.
 
To sum up … 
People talk about leaving their mark upon the world… Well apart from being GG/GGG (Grumpy Gramps or Great Grumpy Gramps) to 11 grandchildren & 13 great grandchildren in Dad’s case it was also … 2 garden walls, nameplates galore all over the UK and a Mirror dinghy No. 25266, floating around somewhere … plus … the word “grotty!”
 
Dad was always full of life, and fun. Hence his penchant for colourful socks, especially red! He loved the Morecambe and Wise type of humour, where their philosophy is summed up in the music “Bring Me Sunshine.” The humour was demonstrated at Fran’s father’s funeral back in 2008, whilst waiting outside the crematorium, Dillon saw Dad shuffling sideways in an odd manner… “What are you doing Dad?”Dad replied “Just moving along the perch.” …. Well, I guess it was finally his turn to fall off the end of that perch!
 
 
 
Thank you for listening.
 
 
 
 
 
To be said by Karen,
as we change over?
 
How can Carole, Dillon and Alison’s father, with a 90-year life span be summed up in just a few minutes? Clearly not very fully, which is why there is a tribute webpage accessed by the QR code on the back of the Thanksgiving Order of Service, where you may add further details, stories and memories …
 
Please reflect on what Gerald Howarth meant to you during his favourite Palestrina music that follows…