RONNIE HOLROYD 24TH JANUARY 1930 - 30TH MAY 2016 - "FOR OUR DAD" - THE PERFECT PAIR DOLPHIN TRILOGY AUTHORS PAY TRIBUTE

FOR OUR DAD
 
Ronnie Holroyd, our Dad, our wonderful, irreplaceable Dad.
 
The last remaining member of five brothers and three sisters. It never ceases to amaze us how the harsh and poverty-stricken streets of Greengate could produce such an understated and caring champion. A quiet, private man who quite literally lived for his family.
 
As most of you already know, Ronnie was the lucky lad who courted and eventually married Barbara Ramsden, often described as the most striking girl on Irlams o’ th' Height – Salford’s answer to Sophia Loren. A union that lasted 66 glorious years.
 
During that time, Ronnie and Barbara had two children – us, David and Tracy, the kids who never left home. And who could blame us for not wanting to fly the nest, when it meant leaving behind the best Mum and Dad in the world. How truly blessed we both were to live in a home built on so much love, a home that’s now mourning its chief architect …
 
Ronnie Holroyd, our Dad, our wonderful, irreplaceable Dad.
 
An eloquent man whose true genius never shone more brightly than when he was using his hands. So can we ask those of you who employed his talents as a sign writer to take a step back in time to remember how you stood looking over his shoulder enthralled by his artistic prowess. Swayed to his bewitching brushwork as he created one of his many masterpieces in words, letter creations that raced many a heart. For as a sign writer, he had no equal.
 
Yet it wasn’t just his powers with a soft, sable brush that marked him out. He was also a fabulous joiner who could literally turn a fireplace or a porch into a work of art. He was the ultimate perfectionist.
 
Ronnie Holroyd, our Dad, our wonderful, irreplaceable Dad.
 
A quiet storm who not only helped to create us, but also mould us into the people we are today.
 
So in this our most desperate time, we can’t help but ask why a man blessed with so much talent should have it so slowly and cruelly stripped away.
 
Ronnie Holroyd, our Dad, our wonderful, irreplaceable Dad.
 
Throughout our life he filled us with pride. Yet he left us with one poignant, unanswered question - how do you mend three broken hearts?
 
David and Tracy