Rest In Peace Uncle...

[steptoe]

My Uncle and close friend passed away October 10th 2009 aged just 62. (1947 - 2009)

I doubt anyone here would have known him. Since his teens he'd been a biker through and through and in favour of real bikes of the time, BSA Bantam, Triumph Tiger Cub etc and absolutely hated all the Jap stuff. During this time he was also a Teddy Boy before turning to wearing his leathers.

He was once challenged to a race on the Coventry Road by Hay Mills by one of the boys in blue who thought that he had a faster bike, back in the days of long open roads an no traffic lights, needless to say my uncle beat him hands down...

In his later years he'd given up on bikes and favoured cars, he never wore gloves as he said they'd get in the way, I always remembered seeing him on cold winter days with frozen hands, he never complained and just got on with it.

He told me I was mad to be riding bikes, death traps he'd call them, I always reminded him of his days on bikes but he still called them death traps.

He's laid to rest now, there's no sadness, just happy memories of the short 39 years that I knew him for.

Rest In Peace Bob.

[hobbit]

RIP at least you have all the memroies to remember him by Steptoe

[HOS]

RIP Bob

Its good to have those memories to keep.

[steptoe]

Thanks guys...

At first I though that it'd been down to doctor/hospital negligence giving him the wrong drugs, strong steroids whilst at the same time having a weak heart, but the final verdict was that he died from Stage IV Chronic Renal Failure as well as Ishemic Heart Disease.

He'd been a smoker since his teens (cos it was cool at the time) and of course enjoyed his drink, he packed up smoking 9 years ago when my nan passed on. He suffered from gout on and off for years and had been type 2 diabetic for about 15 years which didn't help things either. He'd been suffering for a couple of years now and suffered from a couple of strokes along the way having the first one I was aware of on New Years day of all times. He had a couple in the hospital during the last week I was there, and another after trying to get to the toilet all by himself because the nurses couldn't be bothered to jump to his needs, the final one finished him off.

Eventhough I'm his only real surviving blood relative (he also has an 86 year old aunt) he had a will and left everything to Greenpeece and instructed the solicitor to sell everything off. I now have to go to see the solictor at the house tomorrow to buy everything back for a mere £445, shocking... He had £2800 in cash to pay for his funeral with the remainder and the house contents going to Greenpeece although by the time the rent has been paid off as well as the council tax then after the solicitor has taken his fees out of it and everthing else there won't be much left. The auctioneers have taken the piss with what they have offered, kitchen items were a new gas cooker, new fridge x2 as well as a newish washing machine and they offered £30 for the lot.

I guess it's lucky for myself that they valued everything so low which has enabled me to buy everything back, what a way to go. If I'd have know about the will which turns out was written 13 years ago I could have reminded him that the value of the contents would have been low and so th egood will gesture to Greenpeece would have been pointless. There is at least one antique in the house which the auctioneers have put no value to such as a 1930's singer sewing machine in a wooden cabinet complete with floor treadle in an original refurbished condition, looking on the internet I put the value to at least £80.

If any of you out there have a will can I sugest you look through it carefully just to make sure that those around you get what you intend them to get, I know the solicitor is only doing his job but I had to ask permission for the family photos which go back four generations of my family to be given to me, there are even more that have been hidden in the loft which I need to get out too.

Such a stressful time...

[Boop]

Im sorry to hear of your loss Steptoe and the way you wrote about him makes lovely reading - so much affection and what a good man he was by the sound of things....
Also sorry to hear of the unpleasant hassle you have to endure to make sure everything goes smoothly and properly. I am sorry Steptoe but the way you spoke about the auctioneers reminded me of a scene out of a film which Im not going to name as it may appear as being heartless and Im not being that.

May your memories remain Steptoe and every now and then give you cause to smile...

[steptoe]

Im sorry to hear of your loss Steptoe and the way you wrote about him makes lovely reading - so much affection and what a good man he was by the sound of things....
Also sorry to hear of the unpleasant hassle you have to endure to make sure everything goes smoothly and properly. I am sorry Steptoe but the way you spoke about the auctioneers reminded me of a scene out of a film which Im not going to name as it may appear as being heartless and Im not being that.

May your memories remain Steptoe and every now and then give you cause to smile...

Thank you... He was actually like a second father to me, after my own father died when I was 15 it was him that I'd looked up to, and he was always there. He's taught me so much over the years and has probably done more to contributing to my life than anyone else, so yes he was like a real father, not that anyone could have replaced my dad but he did a good job of being there for me.

I've just got back from the house, done a lot of sorting through stuff and getting ready for moving it all out. I actually came across my grandads old cap which I'd never seen before and then I found some cutting of my nans hair that my uncle had kept, it's certainly makes you sit down and reflect of life a little and how much of a short time we really have here.

The solictor told me that my uncles girlfriend wanted a few things out of the house, I just slapped the £445 in his hand and told him that it ain't happening, after all I am the blood relative in all of this, what also changed his mind is when I told him I was also going the clear the house out which the auctioneers were going to charge around £600 for...

There are a lot of things I shall be putting up for sale that I simply have no need for so I'll post them in the For Sale section when it's all been sorted. I need to claw back some of the money that my inheritance has cost me.

[mickyv]

I am sorry to hear of your loss, one thing to remember,its not ,how long or how short a time we are here, but how much we put in and how much we enjoy our timein this world,think about it,racing a copper down the coventry road, and beating him, it dont get much better than that,he sounds like my type of bloke I bet you a pound to a penny, after that race he went to alexs pie stand in Brum to tell all his mates, I was born the same time as your uncle, alexs is where everyone went in those days.
regarding your uncles girlfriend,its possible shes missing him and hurting as much as you are, and perhaps she needs something to remember him by.
stay strong..

[steptoe]

[quote="mickyv"] I bet you a pound to a penny, after that race he went to alexs pie stand in Brum to tell all his mates, I was born the same time as your uncle, alexs is where everyone went in those days.quote]



Thanks, I'm not sure if he went there as you said but now that you mention the name I do recall that place being mentioned a few times. I have a couple of photo's of him on his bike from that time, I'll post it on here soon. Maybe the two of you bumped into each other at some point, maybe you didn't but I'll post it anyway, even if it's just for the nostalgia of the day...