Michael Robert fredrick Reid

My dad was know as Big Mick as he was a very tall man all 6foot 7inches
My Dad came to visit me whilist i was living in Germany.It was the September of 2002 and we celebrated his birthday together, while he was there he was complaining of pains in his chest and i said i would phone the Doctor out if they got any worse but he said he would go and see his own when he got back to the UK. When he got back he went to the Doctors and had to go to the Hospital for tests anyway my Dad never let on to me that he had to go for Chemotheraphy and Radiotheraphy because he had Lung Cancer and never told me. I phoned him at least 3-4 times a week while i was abroad and he said ''yeah i am fine don't worry'' I went home for Christmas in 2002 and spent some time with my Dad and while there he gave me 5 envelopes one for me one for my hubby Mick and 3 for my 2 girls and 1 boy his Grandchildren. My two brothers steven and david got an envelope too. My Dad said its a Present for you all and inside was 35.00 pounds each for each of us. so this was a bit of a suprise as we bought for Dad and he would send money for the Grandchildren but we stopped getting pressies as we become older but always got birthday cards maybe with a 10.00 or 20.00 in it. This really made me think when i went back overseas. Was my Dad trying to tell us something about next Christmas. so i continued phoning and went back at Eastertime 2003 I was told then that my Dad m was on Steriods and he looked really ill i said to him tell me Dad but he kept it to himself as he had never ever been ill in his entire life and didn't want to be a burden and didn't want me to worry.

Over the next few weeks when i was back overseas i phoned my Dad more and noticed a change in his voice he had sounded as though his voice was going still he didn't tell me all he said was he was having treatment as his lungs were playing up in my mind i knew it was something real bad but i didn't want to believe it was the nasty C word.
Then on the friday 6th June i phoned my dad as i had to give him some good news that i was expecting again. He said not another one but i could tell he was over the moon. He also said to me ""I am knackered kidda the docs can't do anything more for me but you look after that beautiful family for me I love you.that was the last time i spoke to my Dad the last thing he said as on sunday the 8th of June 2003 at 4.20am I got a phone call from my brother Steven saying my dad had gone, it didn't sink in and i said to my brother 'wheres he gone'? Then it clicked i had lost my dad i was in deep shock and my husband Mick comforted me best he could but i just wanted to go back to the UK to get to see my Dad.
My Dad had been going to the toilet but collapsed on the landing gasping for breathe shouted for his partner Mary at the time who i will never forgive ran out of the house leaving my Dad on his own ran up the road for a neighbour and wouldn't go back into the house. so the neighbour who mary had went for sat with my Dad and held his hand until the ambulance turned up but my Dad had gone and i will never ever forgive that woman as she said things 3 years after about my dad that weren't true and i have never spoken to her since.
I got back to the Uk on the Tuesday and if i had known then what i know about Mary i think i might of smacked her in the mouth.
I went and saw my Dad in the rest home and i took my Nana and Granddad(my Dads mam and dad) in to see him too and my brother David too. I sat on my own with my dadfor about half an hour and told him sorry i wasn't there for him and i also put 3pounds in his pocket to get a pint and pics of his grandchildren and also a poem i did for him.

My Dad was only 56yrs old when he passed and i am just so glad i told him i was going to have another grandchild for him.
My Dad was a member of the Coldstream Guards Association and i sorted his kit for him to send him off in, he wore his Blazer, pants, trousers, shirt and Coldstream Guard tie only thing i forgot was his socks.
My Dad used to Sing and had a really good voice the one song i remember is You'll never walk alone and i wish it had been played at his funeral but we had Elton John's rocket Man as he liked him too.
I don't think i will ever get over losing my dad but i will definatly never ever forget him.
Love and miss you billions Dad
Love your only daughter Jeanette xxx
sleep tight Dadxx