Tribute to Ted

I have just been devastated by some tragic news. My good friend Ted Grant died suddenly last Sunday whilst at church with his family. His funeral is Friday 11am 16th September. He will be buried close to my father in Redan Hill Cemetary, Aldershot. He was only 58 and has a wonderful family. Fine sons and a lovely daughter, all of which he has seen married to wonderful companions.

We worked together many years ago when his boys were teenagers and my girls were todlers. We ran a scout troop together 12th Aldershot, he was the Group Scout Leader and I was the Scout troop Leader. he always told me that anyone that aspires to be a politician immediatly disqualifies themselves from being a good one.

We climbed Snowdon, Ben Nevis, Three Peaks and other mountains together. He held the towel while the boys and I did eskimo rolls in our kiyaks, came up from some wet pot holes we were exploring or some other wild activity we got involved in.

My mind is packed with fond memories of our shared experiences. Everytime I saw him, he would greet me with a smile as warm as a summers day in the hills where he loved to be. he was a tall man, but never aloof. He was a quiet man, but never afraid to speak up when things were not right. He was a very clever man, and yet a very simple man. He always managed to say the right things at the right time. He was never happier than when surrounded by his family and friends, which are many.

We will all feel a void.
If you knew him, you could not help loving such a man.
My regret is that I never told him how I felt about him.
How wise the person that said "A rose to the living is of more value than a wreath to the dead"

His legacy however lives on in the lives of his sons and daughter, one sees Ted just looking into their eyes, and seeing lives that are filled with same compassion for others, and that same love of the outdoors.

Thank you Ted for wonderful memories, and making my life here all the richer for having rubbed shoulders with you.