Gary’s Memorial
Gary’s Memorial
We discussed pretty early on that we didn’t think it was appropriate for the kids to attend Gary’s funeral. I’m not sure what age is appropriate but for us, it just didn’t seem right. The last memories we want the kids to have of Gary are hopefully happy ones, so Rachel has had an alternative idea.
Gary has had strong ties with Maghull football club since he was young and his father Stanley having enjoyed his career as a professional footballer was a regular at the pitch-side and lived just down the road. For our more age-appropriate memorial, Rachel has arranged for a balloon release with Gary’s kids and grandkids each having written a personal message about their grandad and tied it to a balloon.
The suns out though and as the kids assemble in a nice line, they are all excited for the release but it’s also a nice opportunity for everyone there to just spend a bit of time reflecting on the other, happier visits we’ve paid to the club. The last time we were all here together, Gary played in a seniors match and seeing Rob, Rachel’s older brother sprinkle Gary’s ashes around the edge of the pitch, it felt like a fitting location. It’s really nice of the club to have agreed to it though and I’m sure we’ll be back at some point in the future.