Bryan Sheldon

“Words are few, thoughts are deep. Memories of you we will always keep.”

Peacefully at Leighton Hospital, Bryan passed away aged 71 years on 30th July 2021.

The beloved husband of Maureen. Much loved dad to Deborah and the late Peter. Also a cherished grandad and a dearest brother who will be sadly missed by all his family & friends.

Bryans funeral will take place Tuesday 10th August 2021 at Crewe Crematorium Chapel at 11.30am.

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

***************************************************************************************************************************

Maureen’s beloved husband, Bryan was a glass half empty kind of guy and she was
glass half full so they truly complimented each other, a great team who made the full
measure; Jack and Vera or Hilda and Stan, they would bicker and take the micky out
of each other, he was annoyingly stubborn, awkward and sulked at times but
Maureen used to tell him to sulk all he liked! But having celebrated their fifty first
anniversary this year, they were the perfect combination, truly devoted to one
another. Silly things made him laugh at her expense.
Maureen can’t remember the correct words at times and once said that a train was
coming into the headquarters instead of the station. Also, she mentioned seeing a
man on a boat on Bala lake and when they looked there was no man and she said
that the man was invisible. She never lived her comments down and those two have
been brought up for decades after she said them!
Bryan was also a much-loved dad to Deb and the late Peter, a cherished grandad to
Amy, Jordan, Sasha and Brandon, and immensely proud of them all, he was a dear
father-in-law to Antony who he loved and always turned to for advice.
He was a dearest brother to Annette and the late John. As well as a fantastic bother
in law to Irene, Howard, Mas, Paul and Sandra, he thought the world of Maureen’s
friends, Pauline who is like a sister to her and Evv, in fact lots of women loved his
silly sense of humour, he made so many good friends over the years.
After Bryan was admitted to hospital, the family went through so many peaks and
troughs, Bryan fought so hard, they thought he had turned the home straight, he
even quipped, “put the lottery on” but then he lost his battle.
He was a wonderful husband, father, Grandad and friend and everyone is immensely
sad to have lost him. His entire world revolved around his family; he wouldn’t want
heartbreak, he was always so incredibly funny, so he would be pleased to have
raised a few laughs.
His present buying skills were amazing, Deb said she only ever had to mention
something in passing, he clocked it, stored it then ages after he would buy whatever
it was for her birthday or Christmas.
He made impromptu visits ladened with everything Deb liked, a dozen free range
eggs from the farm, Richmond Veggie Sausages, no sugar Jellies and treats even
when she was on a diet! There aren’t enough hours available to us to describe just
on how much Deb loved him and how close they were.
He very often sat and chuckled as he composed silly text messages to his
grandchildren. Amy’s example:
‘UFO seen flying over Crewe, Nanny’s knickers have blown off the line’. Me and
grandad also shared laughs about the ‘Butterfield diet’ a comedy sketch by Peter
Serafinowicz. We’ve all laughed at that sketch for years and it never grows old.
Brian Butterfield reminds me of Grandad a little.

Brendan – My girlfriend Annalise bought grandad a large soft toy Katie the carrot for
Christmas one year and he text me to say that he put Kevin and Katie the carrot in
the bedroom together and hoped Kevin wasn’t naughty. I loved that Grandad was so
thoughtful. I was interested in buying a bike and Grandad kept an eye out for me and
text me if he saw one that I may be interested in.
Sasha: Still bought me Peppa Pig things that I liked when I was little even though
I’m now older. A response from a text asking if grandad could pick me up at 4.50
‘Yes Sasha, I’ll be there at 16.51 or perhaps it maybe 16.52, got to allow for hold
ups, like roadworks, traffic lights, slow drivers, tractors, pedal cycles, old ladies on
zimmer frames, flooding, low flying aircraft, oh and slow-moving buses, yes I’ll be
there.’
Jordan: Grandad would always tease me, without fail, about how bad Crewe Alex
played, even when they were doing well. Even during Covid he used to say there’s
just as many fans now than there normally was. Whenever we did anything, he
would always say ‘bath and bed’ for you, something mum would say when we were
small.
And he was very silly most of the time like when he would say nothing, just nod to
one then each child followed suit with a nod.
And as for planning his ceremony, Bryan did leave instructions to have two long
hymns so everyone would be bored, but he didn’t get all his own way, we played,
‘There is a Green Hill Far Away’, although maybe his message was in verse two:

We may not know,
We cannot tell
What pains
He had to bear,
But we believe it was for us
He hung and suffer’d there.
Some of Bryan’s sayings were:
“Sadly, true but”
“You don’t know how ill I am”
“I won’t be here next Christmas!”
Remembering Bryan
Born and bred in Crewe, Bryan was welcomed into the world by his parents Cyril and
Muriel on 20 th January 1950. He lived in Queen Street and attended The Tin School,
Wistaston Green, then in 1961 Bedford Street Boys.
In 1965 his brother John got him a job at the gas works where he worked. They still
made gas out of coal at that time. Bryan started as a lorry mate and was called a
Syphon Attendant.

After a couple of years, he progressed to a Service Layer laying gas pipes to
people’s homes then a vacancy came up in the Transmission Department.
He could be quite shy at times and despite lacking confidence in his own abilities, he
trained at Oldham College and attained the level of Craftman then onto Technician
level. Deservedly proud of his achievements, providing gas for the first time ever to
places like Tarporley, Kelsall, Haslington, Tattenhall and many industrial estates.
He also solved many poor pressure problems mostly around Chester and working on
the Gas holder in Stewart Street, he was the last person to have it full and also the
last person to go on top. He loved his job and was with the British Gas board until
2001 when he retired due to ill health, mainly due to suffering with arthritic knees.
Bryan met Maureen in 1967 when she was just fourteen. She was on her way to
school when she walked past the launderette where Bryan was working on the gas
supply. His mate Pete Sumner shouted, “he fancies you!” and the sparks flew!
Whilst courting, Maureen often walked from home to visit Bryan at his parent’s home
in Adlington Road. After a long day at work, Bryan often fell asleep and had to be
woken up by his parents at the end of the night to walk Maureen back home.
They married in April 1970 and Maureen often says that the reason their marriage
has lasted so long is that Bryan has slept through most of it! Except they were
blessed with two children: Deb in 1971 followed by Peter in 1974, so he must have
been awake for a short while Maureen!
They first lived in Harding Street and then their forever family home in Frances
Street. Deborah had a daughter called Amy and married a good and wonderful man,
Antony, in 2011 and Bryan was so thrilled, he mentioned in a letter that it was the
proudest day of his life walking Deborah down the aisle, something he thought he
would never do.
Another proud time of his life was when Peter and his then wife, Jilly, had 3 lovely
children together: Jordan, Sasha and Brendan. Sadly, Peter died tragically at a
young age, something the family never recovered from.
For countless years, the family holiday has been in Fairbourne, together with Irene
and Howard and their children, John and Keith when Deb and Pete were youngsters
with trips to the arcades, slate mines, the blue lake and fishing with Howard.
Whilst there, they looked forward to days out driving in the surrounding areas and
enjoying the Wales countryside and they always had to have a cafe breakfast or
lunch plus a Chinese takeaway one night from Dolgellau.
They had trips to places like Barmouth, including the fairground and arcades for the
children, Towyn, Porthmadog, Aberdyfi to name just a few.

When the grandchildren were young, they all looked forward to the annual ‘Santa
Special’ on the miniature steam train on the Fairbourne Railway and when going
through any tunnels on a train, the children squealed at his antics, because he used
to pretend to grab Maureen’s handbag, shouting “get her money”.
Bryan and Maureen have also enjoyed many trips by steam train on the Ffestiniog
and Welsh Highland Railways, because he always had an interest in steam railway
and in the Crewe Works.
Bryan’s sister Annette and her husband Loll retired to Fairbourne and the family
spent many enjoyable days with them, indulging in Annette’s famous buffets!
In later years Deb, Antony and the grandchildren stayed with Bryan and Maureen for
long weekends each year. He loved spending time with them all.
The family board game ‘Frustration’ came out every holiday and they all laughed at
Maureen’s competitiveness! Covid prevented them going together last year, but
Maureen and Bryan managed to celebrate Bryan’s 70 th Birthday there just before
Covid. A holiday was booked for September this year which Bryan will sadly miss.
In his younger days Bryan enjoyed a pint or 2 and the occasional shot of rum with his
older brother John with friends at the N U R Club on Nantwich Road. In later years
Bryan enjoyed a much quieter life and eventually gave up drinking and smoking. He
supported his then teenage son Pete with his interest in BMX racing, purchasing a
transit van to take him to BMX meets.
His favoured car for the last few years has been a Skoda with the number plate
S4ODA. He loved driving, going for days out with Maureen and sometimes just by
himself. They liked shopping trips, going to places of interest, and enjoyed short
walks.
He was also a regular ‘driver/taxi/chauffeur’ to Maureen and her many friends, and
he warned them, “if they breached their curfew of midnight, they wouldn’t be getting
a lift home!” It seems he wasn’t quite as strict with the grandchildren who used his
services in the early hours of the morning to get home from a club!
Latterly, he would get up at 4.30 am each morning to take their golden retriever,
Henry, for a walk and depending on the weather and how they both felt, they were
sometimes out for over an hour, chatting to everyone he met.
Bryan would also make Maureen breakfast in bed; a cup of tea with bacon and egg
on toast each day and Evv would get the same if she stayed over and he even
bought brown sauce especially for her, recently Maureen has done it for her, but Evv
said its not the same as Bryans!
He enjoyed jigsaw puzzles and nostalgic children’s programmes such as Trumpton,
Chigwell, Camberwick Green and has a vast collection of figurines. He also liked
Peppa Pig and The Simpsons, he and Amy used to joke about the Simpsons and he
had an obsession with Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot, he collection the large and small soft
toys and even queued for two hours for a particular one, getting a parking ticket at

Aldi in the process – Maureen insisted he hadn’t to pay it, three times they sent it
and each time he fretted, but Maureen stuck to her guns!
He loved his home, especially pleased with their renovations and he was a nosey
neighbour at times!

May he rest in peace.