Andrew Percival

“Tenderly we treasure the past, with memories that will always last”

Andrew sadly passed away suddenly after a short illness on 11th October 2021 at Leighton Hospital aged 65 years.

Beloved Husband of Kathryn. Devoted Dad & Grandad who will be fondly remembered by all his family & friends.

His funeral took place on Tuesday 26th October at Crewe Crematorium Chapel at 10.45am.

Kind donations in Andrew’s name are going to Bowel Cancer UK.

For further information and to offer your condolences, please telephone our Funeral Home on 01270 584447

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Andy came into the world on 9th August 1956 at Lyndon Grange
Hospital in Crewe. He was the eldest of two boys born to his parents
Frank and Mary Percival, he and his brother Mark were much loved and
they grew up in a close family.
Edleston Road Primary was followed by time spent at Bedford Street,
before he left school in 1972.
His lifelong friends Brian and Kevin shared his journey from being very
young and their friendship still endures.
He began an apprenticeship in Crewe Works and remained there for
almost 20 years before being made redundant. But not one to let the
grass grow under his feet Andy set about immediately looking for new
employment.
The allotment was one of his happiest places and it was there he heard
on the grapevine that there was work available as a shunter – he got the
job and remained there for the next five years, until history repeated
itself and he found a new position working for the Royal Mail.
Now Andy was in his element, he embraced the rural postal routes
which allowed him to watch nature and the seasons at first hand,
regardless of the weather, and he became emersed in the communities
he served.
He was recognised by everyone as he cycled around his route. He was
a friend to many and a source of lively conversations and company to
those who engaged with him. He was well known and much respected
for his kind and giving nature.
Andy was a man of principle and compassion and he tried to put these
qualities into practice on a day-to-day basis. He had an innate sense of
decency and integrity, he never faltered in being true to himself and the
standards he set.
For the next part of our story, I want to take us back to the early 1980s –
May 1982 to be precise when Andy first met Kathy. They came together
through mutual friends, they started courting as was the parlance of the
time and as their feelings for one another deepened they delighted in

one another’s company. In 1987 they were married and began their
journey through life together. They set up home in Haslington.
Their marriage was blessed with three children: Cheryl, William and
Ryan. Andy placed the highest value on family and enjoyed being part of
all the family activities, he was always interested and very proud of the
children and their achievements.
Andy and Kathy’s greatest contribution to their children was standing
aside and encouraging them to find their own way in life. They allowed
them to be who they wanted to be, to do what they wanted to do, go
where they wanted to go, always confident in the knowledge that should
they stumble mum and dad would be there to help them back on their
feet.
Family holidays were taken in the UK, Andy wasn’t a good flyer, but this
did not detract from the fun and laughter and wonderful memories family
times created. Anglesey was a favourite destination together with Looe
in Cornwall.
Cricket on the beach, when the weather allowed and the ritual of burying
William in the sand, simple pleasures and memories now held very dear.
Over time the arrival of grandson Ryker added another generation to the
legacy Andy and Kathy have created, and this little boy will no doubt
learn all about his grandad, it is so important to talk of him and the man
he was – by this simple act you keep Andy’s memory and spirit alive in
the family.
Andy had a myriad of interests across the years – Motor Bikes were his
passion, Triumph Bonneville’s especially.
There was the purchase of a Reliant Robin which probably wasn’t the
most sensible or purchases, but it did have the quality of a bike in that it
was always best to lean into a corner when driving it!
The garden was his domain and he delighted in planting and watching
vis vegetables grow, he lavished care on his fruit trees and spent time
dead heading his flowers with secateurs in one hand and a glass of red
wine in the other.
Over the years the family shared their home and their hearts with
Doberman Jake and then Labrador Sonny. They may have put a stop on
trips away, but they were very much loved and part of the family.

And then there was Leeds United. A team he began following in the
days of Norman Hunter, Bobby Charlton and Billy Bremner. A team of
hard men in the days when football was a contact sport, Andy was an
armchair supporter, but he has passed his interest in the team onto
Ryan who is a regular attender at games.
Our health is the greatest gift we possess, but it hangs on a thread as,
fine as a spider’s web and the smallest thing can make it snap, leaving
the strongest of us helpless in an instant. Andy had never really had any
major health issues before, but he was determined not to allow his
illness to define him, he was a stubborn man who was determined to live
as full a life as he could for as long as he could.
He faced up to his condition with extraordinary courage and faced down
his approaching end of life as only he could. This endeared him to those
who cared for him and inspired those around him.
At just 65 Andy passed away, lost to your sight but forever in your heart
– he was taken way to soon so if you feel angry at the years you have
lost with him, rail against it because sometimes a death can seem so
unfair.
He was the most wonderful giver of fun, laughter and warmth, he had a
wicked sense of humour and took great pleasure in winding people up.
Andy will be remembered for his carefree nature, his devil may care
outlook on life, and his boisterous and happy go lucky character. His life
was distressingly shortened but you must take solace from the fact that
in the time he had, he lived joyfully and to the full.

May he rest in peace.