St Helens Star - Memorials
Search Acknowledgements, Death Notices and In Memoriam within Merseyside
I'm looking for celebrationsDeath Notice
Thomas FORBER
Published on 21/12/2023
FORBER Thomas Andrew 'Tom' Peacefully passed away on 8th December 2023 aged 95 years. Former school teacher Tom will be sadly missed but fondly remembered by all his family and friends. The funeral will take place on Thursday 4th January, All Saints Church at 1pm followed by burial at Newton-le-Willows Cemetery. All enquiries to Co-Op Funeralcare, 01925 226257.Tributes
Create a tribute, leave a message or share a picture.
Sign in to add a tribute
Matthew Baker
December 28th, 2023
I'd like to make a tribute to my Grandad, who passed away on Friday aged 95.
He was a caring, intelligent and witty guy who was always there for his family and did a lot for his community. Even in his later years when his mind was failing he could still make people laugh and charm complete strangers.
He was a fantastic Grandad- with his own unique approach to being a grandparent. He always encouraged our curiosity- even if that meant I discovered water pistols couldn't shoot ice the hard way- with the words "there's no such thing as a failed experiment".
He taught us to persevere: When we were kids he'd play games with us every afternoon, but never let us win unless we deserved it; one of my proudest moments was beating him at chess after several years of trying.
He took an active interest in what we were learning and I would lend him books I was reading- from Horrible Histories all the way to Dostoyevsky in my teens- and he'd read them cover to cover and discuss them with us- the only annoying thing was he wasn't a fan of bookmarks so sometimes they'd come back a bit creased. He also provided a constant taxi service to us and would ferry us around to part-time jobs, and even travelled around the North-West with me to help me with an A-Level archaeology project.
He grew up as the son of a coal-miner and lived through the war- two things which gave him strong political principles and beliefs. After the war he became a high school teacher. By all accounts he was a good one- "strict but fair". I know this because whenever I took him out in Newton-le-Willows we'd bump into his old pupils- half the town over a certain age seemed to remember him, and they were always delighted to see he was still about.
He was also involved through his life in several community groups- the local council, the local amateur dramatics society, school boards, the Labour party. During the miners' strike he ran a soup kitchen and did food parcels from his house for all those on strike.
In his youth he enjoyed dance halls, playing piano and watched Everton at Goodison Park. He was also a keen swimmer and amateur diver. In retirement he was up at 6 to play golf every morning, before religiously watching Countdown and doing a crossword with my Gran in the afternoon, and then listening to Radio 4 while having his tea. My Gran and Grandad both still had strong affection for each other even as their minds began to fail, and I remember them kissing each other goodnight on the last Christmas they spent together.
He'll be greatly missed. To a life well lived Grandad. May you rest in peace.
He was a caring, intelligent and witty guy who was always there for his family and did a lot for his community. Even in his later years when his mind was failing he could still make people laugh and charm complete strangers.
He was a fantastic Grandad- with his own unique approach to being a grandparent. He always encouraged our curiosity- even if that meant I discovered water pistols couldn't shoot ice the hard way- with the words "there's no such thing as a failed experiment".
He taught us to persevere: When we were kids he'd play games with us every afternoon, but never let us win unless we deserved it; one of my proudest moments was beating him at chess after several years of trying.
He took an active interest in what we were learning and I would lend him books I was reading- from Horrible Histories all the way to Dostoyevsky in my teens- and he'd read them cover to cover and discuss them with us- the only annoying thing was he wasn't a fan of bookmarks so sometimes they'd come back a bit creased. He also provided a constant taxi service to us and would ferry us around to part-time jobs, and even travelled around the North-West with me to help me with an A-Level archaeology project.
He grew up as the son of a coal-miner and lived through the war- two things which gave him strong political principles and beliefs. After the war he became a high school teacher. By all accounts he was a good one- "strict but fair". I know this because whenever I took him out in Newton-le-Willows we'd bump into his old pupils- half the town over a certain age seemed to remember him, and they were always delighted to see he was still about.
He was also involved through his life in several community groups- the local council, the local amateur dramatics society, school boards, the Labour party. During the miners' strike he ran a soup kitchen and did food parcels from his house for all those on strike.
In his youth he enjoyed dance halls, playing piano and watched Everton at Goodison Park. He was also a keen swimmer and amateur diver. In retirement he was up at 6 to play golf every morning, before religiously watching Countdown and doing a crossword with my Gran in the afternoon, and then listening to Radio 4 while having his tea. My Gran and Grandad both still had strong affection for each other even as their minds began to fail, and I remember them kissing each other goodnight on the last Christmas they spent together.
He'll be greatly missed. To a life well lived Grandad. May you rest in peace.
Your tribute has been received.
Once your tribute has been approved by our moderators, it will appear on Thomas FORBER's notice.
