Neil Dring

I woke up this morning with a heavy heart, knowing the world today is a worse place than it was yesterday because Neil Dring is no longer in it.

A kind, gentle, and thoughtful man, Neil was diagnosed with an aggressive lung cancer last year, and spent the last year in the knowledge that he will not see his grandchildren grow up.

As a child, I spent countless hours in the heart of his family, and saw his patience and love for his daughters and wife as a constant backdrop to everything he did. Our families were closer than some of our blood relations.

From walking to the duck pond in Tickhill to golfing at Alston, from Bob Dylan to the Black Keys, from Fopp in Sheffield to walks in Clumber Park, my memories of Neil are without exception memories of happy times.

I was proud to introduce him to my son, and to see him showing the same kindness and love I experienced myself with a new generation. I am devastated to think of his family learning to live without him.

Eventually, my time will come too, and when it does, I hope that I will have been as good a father, friend, and husband as he was.