It is with much sadness that I post the news that Colin Smith passed away this morning, Friday 23rd November 2012. He was one of our very first Volunteers at the Pop In Place and was a truly genuine man and a great friend to so many. He had a very interesting yet challenging life, born in 1921 when life was very tough, he was in the RAF rising in rank to Wing Commander and had many fascinating stories about his time in the War. Some of you will remember the “This Is Your Life “we did at the Pop In Place on his 80th birthday, he still talked about that recently. He was a compassionate man and he nursed his first wife throughout her battle with Cancer and then after she died he became a volunteer with us. He started up the Library, he was in the shows and enjoyed being on the various Carnival floats we did. He would go and collect clients who couldn’t walk to the sessions, and help Gwen to open up early in the morning when we started at 9am. He was a tremendous support when we lost Tina and regularly visited her at hospital, he was simply a wonderful person and a very dear friend and I’m very pleased to say that in June of 2008 he married again to Jean and they shared some really happy times travelling, and they both shared the joys of ballroom dancing. Julie, Paul and I visited him last year when he was 90 and I have kept in touch during this last year but each time I saw him I noticed that although his mind was still very alert his body had become frail and eventually he was unable to walk. I last saw him yesterday afternoon when although very frail he did still know Paul and I and I was able to say goodbye to him, as I left his bed I knew that would be the last time I ever saw him, but I felt so privileged to have known him and to have in some small way through becoming a Volunteer at the Pop In Place given this splendid man a purpose to keep going when he had lost his first wife and needed a reason to go on. I’m sure all of you that can remember him will join me in offering our sincere condolences to Jean his wife as she bravely comes to terms with life without him.
