At around 2:30am on Wednesday 18th of July my dad, Dave, passed away peacefully in his sleep.
He spent his final days in hospital surrounded by his family, friends and other loved ones – he laughed and smiled and said goodbye to us all in his way. Even in his final days, he never lost his sense of humour or cheeky grin and fought on as long as he could to soak up every moment he could manage.
On behalf of him and the family, I’d like to extend my thanks to everyone that has read his blog. From the amusement of the hooker in London to the sadness of his pain and low points, he throughly enjoyed sharing his experiences with you. Your comments and support never failed to lift him up and the support network it allowed him to form helped him battle on for this long. You made him feel like a superstar.
Today is a sad day, but we are happy that dad is at peace now. He had the best last days he could ask for and passed away without pain or suffering.
We will announce funeral arrangements once they have been made via his Facebook page.
Thanks for reading,
Dave’s family (written by Chris)
Seeing the World 
July 18, 2018 at 6:56 am
I am so sorry for your loss. My thoughts are with you and your family at this time
LikeLike
July 18, 2018 at 7:32 am
Dear Chris, thanks for updating all those who have followed and rooted for your dad. His bravery and humour in the face of adversity and his impending & inevitable death has reached ‘the innermost’ of all of us who followed him. It did so because one day we will all face that test.
As a man of faith I emailed your dad to tell him that I was praying for him and he was gracious in acknowledging that and even more noble regarding my support of the Brunton blues!
No man is an island Chris and the bell is tolling for the passing of a brave, brave man. In your sadness you should also be proud of your dad.
Best wishes and sincere condolences,
Peter
LikeLike
July 18, 2018 at 8:33 am
Your dad was a true inspiration in battling his terrible illness. His zest for life and cherishing, making the most of every minute he had left serves as a lesson to us all that life is for living.
He set an example to us all in showing that you do not accept your fate you battle it every step of the way and do things in your terms.
He was always the voice of reason on the message boards and he will be sadly missed. Condolences to you and your family Chris.
Goodnight God Bless Dave
LikeLike
July 18, 2018 at 8:38 am
Well said Chris, you can be very proud of your brave father and the way in which he dealt with his life and death. I never knew him but followed his progress here and on flyertalk. Best wishes to you and family at this difficult time
LikeLike
July 18, 2018 at 9:12 am
So sorry for your loss. Loved reading about his journey and the wonderful trips he and you made. RIP Dave x
LikeLike
July 18, 2018 at 9:30 am
Thanks for letting us know. I was trying to find out why I hadn’t heard as I really looked forward to his blogs….what an inspiration he was…you were very lucky to have a dad like that. I never new him but felt I did. Best wishes for the future.
Mike.
LikeLiked by 1 person
July 18, 2018 at 9:42 am
Sorry to hear the news. Thoughts with family and friends, may you easily recall many happy memories. Dave‘s reports on flyertalk were great fun.
LikeLike
July 18, 2018 at 10:08 am
Sorry to hear of your loss. I enjoyed reading your dad’s blog and looked out for it most days. I admired his humour and determination to make the best out of his situation (both of which are required in abundance as a Latics fan).
LikeLike
July 18, 2018 at 10:09 am
So sad never met David but his logs were so amusing the world has lost a real character God bless him
LikeLike
July 18, 2018 at 11:00 am
Dear Chris, so sorry to hear that your dad has died. I never met Dave but through his blogs I felt in a small way I did know him a little. He seemed to have great humour in dealing with his terminal diagnosis and always managed to find lighter moment to what must have been dark days. As you say he is at peace now and this hopefully gives you some comfort.
LikeLike
July 18, 2018 at 11:19 am
A truly inspirational fella that I came to know just a little through his blog and contributions on the GPG – Brentford Forum.
From the time of the original diagnosis Dave never lost track of the most important things in life starting with family and genuinely adhered to the adage that life is short and you should live it to the full.
Best wishes Chris to the whole family and know that Dave was much admired and loved.
LikeLike
July 18, 2018 at 12:01 pm
So very sorry the news, thinking if you all at this sad time x
LikeLike
July 18, 2018 at 1:20 pm
So sorry to hear this .
Love and strength to you all xx
LikeLike
July 18, 2018 at 1:28 pm
I’m a Brentford fan and got to know your dad a bit through our Griffin Park Grapevine forum – there’s a thread of condolence on there where it’s clear that your dad’s wit, passion and intelligence won him many friends among him. We will miss hearing from him.
LikeLike
July 18, 2018 at 3:57 pm
So sorry for your loss. Dave faced every challenge head on. I enjoyed reading his blog and following his posts on MSE and Flyertalk. In case you haven’t tracked down all his online activity, you may want to read these threads when you are ready:
forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5869818
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/1874845-oncologist-stops-me-flying.html
LikeLike
July 18, 2018 at 5:30 pm
It’s a measure of a great man when he will be missed by people who never even met him. R.I.P
LikeLike
July 18, 2018 at 5:30 pm
Dear Chris and Family
Dave (Opinion5u) as he was also known to us at Brentford and on the Griffin Park Grapevine (GPG), made us smile,cry and sometimes collapse with laughter with his postings.
He is still thought of very highly by his friends in the Brentford family.
Most of us never met Dave, I know for sure that when I get to the big stadium in the sky, I will firmly shake Dave’s hand.
The posts on our forum, show how much your Dad meant to us.
I have followed his blog and always felt he was my electronic friend, the power of the internet.
I myself and I am sure many others will miss his sharp wit.
From my family to yours…..many,many condolences.
I am sure many other Brentford FC supporters will be along with messages soon.
RIP Dave (my friend I never met).
LikeLike
July 18, 2018 at 7:48 pm
So sorry for your loss. A truly inspiring man.
LikeLike
July 18, 2018 at 8:48 pm
Your dad chose to live life to the full and do as many things and visit as many places as he could . I think many of us would not have been able to do the same. I am so sorry to hear that he has passed away.
LikeLike
July 18, 2018 at 9:12 pm
Thanks for letting us know. I was trying to find out why I hadn’t heard as I really looked forward to his blogs….what an inspiration he was…you were very lucky to have a dad like that. I never new him but felt I did. Best wishes for the future.
Mike.
LikeLike
July 19, 2018 at 3:19 am
He was ALWAYS made welcome on the Griffin Park Grapevine (Unofficial home of Brentford FC supporters) which really took some doing; we usually ‘ask’ opposing teams’ supporters to, ahem, “Go away”
Sad sad news indeed RIP Dave, you never realised just how liked you were
LikeLike
July 19, 2018 at 5:43 am
What an amazing dad!! I’m so sorry for your loss and would like to thank all of you for allowing us to share the joys of Dave. RIP mate.
LikeLike
July 19, 2018 at 7:00 am
Our sincere condolences, Chris. Your dad’s strength and humour and good example inspired so many of us around the world. x
LikeLike
July 19, 2018 at 7:55 pm
So very sorry to read your post.
I know that tributes to Dave have been paid on ‘Head for Points’ blog, Dave post on the BA Flyertalk forum (under his handle PeacefulWaters) and also in the overseas travel section of the MSE forum. I hope in time reading these will bring some comfort to you.
LikeLike
July 20, 2018 at 12:09 pm
Chris,
I’m sure your dad would have no idea how much of an impact he’s had on so many. His stories (the funny ones and the sadder ones) spoke greatly to his character and he will be missed by many, including countless people who, like me, have never actually met him. GPG will be a poorer place for his absence but I suspect there will be many other places that feel his loss more keenly.
I am so sorry for your loss and hope that you’re able to lessen the sadness by celebrating a life lived to the fullest.
LikeLike
July 20, 2018 at 5:59 pm
I first met your dad when we were 5 years old, (he was football mad then!)lived on the same Rd & went to the same schools until we set out into the world, he was one of those very rare people that had no enemies, great sense of humour, could make you laugh out loud out of nowhere. I’m so very sorry for your loss, his blog sums him up, his humour, selflessness & dignity are rare qualities & he’ll be missed more than he’d ever have known.
RIP Syd
God bless
LikeLike
July 22, 2018 at 4:55 pm
So sad to hear of your loss. Your father has been an inspiration. God bless you all.
LikeLike