Des Fallon, 1971 – 2011. Forever Young.

Please excuse me, this one is personal, but I know you would have liked the guy, so here goes. Des Fallon was a friend. He was the husband to a friend and a loving father to a beautiful daughter. He was born in Shepherds Bush, west London and he lived there pretty much all of his life. Yesterday, sadly, it was the place where we said our goodbyes.

Des passed away two weeks ago. No one could believe it. Even today, the morning after the funeral, I still can’t. A mutual friend called to tell us the news a couple of days after it had happened. An accident. A fall. He went to bed and he didn’t wake up. Shock. Disbelief. Tears.

After the mass, there was a wake. On the walls of the hall were blown-up photos, images of Des taken at various stages of his life. Flossie, Des’s teenage daughter, had chosen them. The one I liked the best was of him aged about seven, playing in the street dressed in a homemade Batman outfit. He was smiling and in his eye he had the look that I got to know many years later. I loved that look. It spelt trouble. Or maybe the right word is mischief. He was full of that.

Wendy & I will remember him as one of the good guys. Lot’s of people will. That’s what he was and he’s going to be missed. We’ll think of him often and we’ll smile. Our thoughts will always be with Nik and Floss. (JB)