John Watson

John Was born to John and Polly Watson and had two brothers and two sisters. He served in the merchant Navy and afterwards served his time as an Electrician and this was the job he did all his working life. His life was his work and he did this in the shipyards on the tyne. He later married my mother Olive Grout and went on to have three children John the oldest then Brian then ten yr later me Elizabeth. My dad loved his family and work and the regular twenty pence bet on the horses. After a road accident put him in hospital my dad's nerves were not the same and his hands would shake. He even went back to his life in the yards but it was not easy for him. My brothers even took the same trade as my father and worked along side him on the river tyne. Not long after my father had pains in his foot and it got so bad he went to see the doctor. The doctor give him medication but it got worse and it affected his leg. My mother went back to the doctor's with him and he was sent to see a consultant. The consultant bluntly told him he would have to have his foot amputated loss of circulation.He wept and was in a bad way we the family were shocked at the outcome. As another week lapsed he returned for another appointment to be told it had spread higher up his leg. They operated soon after and removed his leg just above the knee. He battled on to use a false leg and couldnt walk far without pain. Most of the time was spent going out in the wheelchair.He had depression which got worse after the murder of his eldest grandson John alan in 1988. My father continued with life until he took ill early one morning the docter that came in sent in a nurse for blood tests. Two days past and he was no better the docter rang back to let us know he had the results and an appointment was made at the hospital for my father. I remember waiting with my mother whilst my brother Brian had gone in the consulting room with our dad. My dad was weeping when he was wheeled back out he was being kept in they had found a problem with his liver. The next day I joined my mum and Brian as The consultant wanted to speak with us. I remember The consultant he had amputated my fathers leg yrs before. He was now telling us my dad had Cancer of the liver and it had travelled into his other leg. The option was to operate and amputate the other leg but my father was terminally ill. This came as a massive shock and my mother refused to submit my father to more pain by this operation. After talking it over what was best for my dad, we decided to leave it at that. I asked regarding time how long did he have left.A few weeks was the reply. My father thankfully only lived another week and he was then free from the pain. The day before he died he spoke to Brian of having seen family that were in spirit. My brother knew he wouldnt live much longer because our dad wasnt spiritual like us, and yet he knew who he had seen visit him ,comming for to take him to his heavenly home.My brother John said that our Dad's life was over when he had the amputation a few yrs before. He lived for work and got great pleasure from work. I believed it started with the road accident which he had comming home one evening from work. When a couple of young boys playing football on a grass verge kicked the ball and it rolled out onto the road and caught under the wheel of his Honda motor bike. He was never the same after that. My father was a hardworking family man and we had the greatest respect for him. Love eternally Dad Love Elizabeth,Stephen, Tina, Courtney and Butch and great grandaughter Charli xxxx