The time I’ve spent creating this on-line Tribute has been quite therapeutic; uploading the pictures and music brought back many happy memories. It made me think that if you can go out of this world with at least a bowl full of memories, then you’re not doing too badly; from talking with his friends, family and from our own time together I think Gary had several bowls! I’d like to start off with saying how very proud I am of Gary; he was a man who always led with his heart, when he was sad he was very sad, when he was happy he wouldn’t be able to stop grinning, which I’m glad to say he did a lot of. An extremely handsome man, kind, sensitive, compassionate and very intelligent, he excelled in his work. He was very idealistic and treated people the way he would like to be treated himself. As a result he had numerous friends, some closer than others and you’ll know who you are and the times you shared. His personality was one that many considered as shy but actually he was very self-assured and showed a higher philosophical understanding of the world. He was able to balance his life successfully with being one of the lads at his local pub; being part of the local darts team was important to him as well as having time with his friends playing poker and spending time with his Dad on Sundays, playing golf followed with a pint or two. He enjoyed taking part in pub quizzes and was sought after by the locals to join their teams as he would always know all the answers; I’ve been told he was barred from a few events! From an early age Gary also excelled in sport which included: table tennis, badminton, football, golf, tennis, squash and pool; he’d have a go at anything and always seemed to win effortlessly, playing for the County was an accomplishment. He became Captain of Old Thorns and took part in a number of competitions such as the Ryder Cup. There’s no doubt Gary was competitive but as his mate Darryl says in his poem, he thought everyone was a winner. Gary’s passion for computer’s and shiny things is in no doubt; he always had a list of what new gadget to get next. He’d make sure he was kitted out with the best tools for the job, for instance, when he took up camping, he wasn't happy with buying just the one tent, he’d have a few stand-bys together with everything you could possibly think of to make the camping experience go with ease, including a mobile shower! He looked forward to going to music festivals especially to the Isle of Wight where he could spend some ‘boy’ time with friends and Sam, his step-son. Another passion was his VW Camper Van, his pride and joy, bought mainly with the intention of helping him manage the local football team. Gary wasn’t only a gifted sportsman but from an early age he loved to sing. When he was very young he was a member of the local church choir for a while, and as he grew older he would spend time writing poetry and lyrics, he had a great imagination. When Karaoke was introduced in the 80s and early 90s, Gary would always be at his local having a blast with his mates. In fact, it would be true to say Karaoke remained a big part of Gary’s life throughout. On a day to day, you would know when Gary was happy as out of nowhere he would start singing a tune; he would also love to dance and got really excited when opportunities came along for dressing up in his tucks or fancy dress. His friends and family were extremely important to Gary, there would be nothing better than a celebration at the local and there’s probably a few tales to be told from those events! He loved everything about Christmas and thinking about that special gift, planning months before buying presents and intricately wrapping them up. His birthday was another event he looked forward to each year, an excuse to invite all his friends and family over for a barbecue. Materialistic? Gary was always scheming up ways to make his first million, he was really gutted when Facebook was introduced, wishing he had thought of it first. His best mate Darryl recalls hours at their local trying to think of an angle or idea that would take-off. Whether they could remember their soul searching ideas in the morning after several pints the night before was another thing! Talking of Darryl, I remember when Gary first told me that they were renting a house together, he was so excited, I could tell that he thought he was on an adventure and was really happy. Gary made some really close friends throughout his life, every one of them he would have given his last penny to. Yes, Gary had dreams of owning a Ferrari, a mansion and several holiday homes, but that’s all they were, dreams. The reality was Gary liked nothing better than being surrounded by his friends and family. This is where I come in…as our friends and family know, I first met Gary when I was 16 and he was 18, he was my brother’s friend, they played badminton together. However, Gary didn’t know this when we first saw each other which was at my School’s end of year disco. After that evening, he asked around to find out who I was and that’s when it all started. Every time we happened to be at the same night club, he’d always ask me for the last dance and repeatedly ask me to be his girl, I'd always say yes but somehow we couldn't quite get it off the ground. There’s a saying ‘true love isn’t easy’. I like to think of it as, if you’re meant to be together with someone you’ll end up with the person you’re meant to be with, perhaps you’re supposed to travel on your own road until you come to the right juncture at the same time. There were a number of moments throughout those subsequent years which I’ll keep to myself however it wasn’t until 25 years later that Gary & I finally got together, so as you can imagine, we had a lot of catching up to do, in fact 3 weeks after our first date Gary went down on one knee and proposed, I went down on two knees and said yes! Although our time was cut short it seemed like a life-time together, we played, we danced, we sang, laughed and cried, we talked and talked and talked…My girls Charley and Georgia adored Gary as he did them. We lived each day as if it was our last; inevitably there were a few raw times but we had to catch up on those too, they only served to make us stronger. I’ll remember our moments we shared forever; sometimes we were like two children ourselves, amazed at how much love we had for each other. When Gary was diagnosed on the 1st May 2011 with a GBM Grade IV tumour, it was honestly the worst day of our lives, we were both crushed but at the same time we held on to ‘hope’ and were determined to fight. With the support of friends and family, Gary went through an open Craniotomy operation and gruelling radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment; he never complained, just took everything in his stride, very thankful for another day of being alive. He carried on working one day a week throughout his treatment and we continued to plot and plan our lives together, he loved going to week-end car boot sales, helping me decorate, cooking and working in our garden. In November his scan showed a reassuring result, we were so relieved as it seemed all his hard work had paid off, we celebrated by spending the week-end in London, seeing a show and breakfast in Covent Garden. By December and towards the end of Gary’s chemotherapy course, tiredness was taking over, but still he never complained, determined to continue living a normal life as possible, he was still playing golf and darts once a week and at every opportunity scoured the shops for bargains. However, a month later, Gary was experiencing more frequent seizures and after a further scan we were advised the tumour had grown one and half times larger than first diagnosed. The good news was it was still operable. It was our worst nightmare and rightly so Gary went out with his best mate Duncan that night and had a few drinks! After Gary’s second Craniotomy operation, he went straight from the Hospital to the Countess Mountbatten Hospice. He wasn’t recovering as quickly as the first operation, the last 8 months had taken their toll, however even though he was exhausted his spirits remained high and was still determined to fight; he agreed to a further course of chemotherapy. A week later on Valentine’s Day with flowers and chocolates in his hand, once again Gary went down on one knee and asked me to marry him, this was probably for the 20th time since first asking, but this time he proposed a date of three weeks from then, I said yes, the Hospice also said yes but persuaded us to do it in two. On the 3rd March 2012, I walked up the Aisle to meet my husband, my soul mate and best friend; we walked down the Aisle as one. It was a truly special day, not a dry eye in the house! Gary began to deteriorate quite quickly after that, still in the Hospice he began to lose his mobility on one side and although over several weeks he became completely bed bound, he managed to keep his dignity throughout. He was always grateful and pleased to see his friends and family; we even managed to bring him home on a number of week-ends so that he could enjoy some home cooking and time in the garden. Of course there were sad moments, but generally Gary looked on the bright side and took everything in his stride. He gave me and others so much strength, to say that he was remarkable, inspirational and extremely courageous wouldn’t be enough. I have always been extremely proud of Gary and even more so throughout this journey. Every day I was grateful that I could still see him, to kiss him, to say I loved him and to be able to hold his hand. Gary died after a mal seizure lasting for 4 days, however take it from me, surrounded by friends and family he left us with a smile on his face, he knew he was loved and he had loved. He’d accomplished everything he wanted to do and was with those he wanted to be with. Gary and I danced the last dance together. 'My Knight in shining armour’.