Eulogy for Paul Douglas Atkin Paul Douglas Atkin was born on 26th October 1954 in Gotham, Nottinghamshire and was the fourth son to parents George and Patricia Atkin. Paul had three elder brothers… Patrick, Micky and Robert and a younger sister named Carol. Patrick and Micky both joined the RAF as young cadets in 1956/1957, and the rest of the family moved to Hertford in Hertfordshire in 1957. Sadly Paul’s mum, Patricia, died when he was just seven years of age and after that the family was raised by his dad and his gran. Until Paul’s teenage years the family celebrated Paul’s birthday on the 23rd of October every year and his sister Carol’s birthday on the 26th of January. It was discovered then that the two dates had been muddled up by dad years before, and they both had to readjust to the correct dates meaning that Paul had to wait an extra three days to celebrate his real birthday. Paul left school at the age of fifteen…. Well… the school and his dad didn’t know that he had left school, until he started his first job at East Herts Electrical, in Hertford. He worked as a delivery drivers mate and for a few years was a regular delivery man to Sir Cliff Richard’s Mum’s house, in Rye House, Herts. Paul went on to be a builder and worked on many building sites. His last job in England was as a warehouse manager for Hayters, the lawnmower manufacturers. In 1982, Paul and his brother Bob worked in Almunague, Spain, where they picked olives in the groves, however, he became ill and had to return to England, spending a time in hospital and then stayed in London with his sister Carol. Other than living in Peterborough for a few years, Paul lived in Hertford and Ware and this is where he met Phyllis in 1986. After a long courtship, Paul and Phyllis married on August 1st 1992 and have spent the last nineteen on a long honeymoon. They went away on many holidays together, something that Paul loved and enjoyed the sun, the sangria and the sleep !! I’m sure that is what the third ‘S’ stands for !!! Amongst Paul’s favourite holidays were a trip on the river Nile and a safari to Kenya. Paul always wanted to return to Kenya, having sponsored children in Africa. Paul and Phyllis through the unknown in Kenya, to a small village where they met Millicent and Alice and saw how their sponsorship helped to educate the girls and also helped to make the village self sufficient, eventually no longer requiring the financial sponsorship. Paul loved the safari and seeing the wild animals in their natural habitat; his favourite was the cheetah and they went on a special ‘cheetah run’, where they spotted and followed a cheetah for miles and miles. This was a rare occurance, to actually see a cheetah… and Paul and Phyllis did ! Paul and Phyllis followed their dreams and moved to Spain in 2003, building a new life on Camposol and meeting so many new friends, who went on to become their new family… and you all know who you are… Phyllis would like to thank you all for standing alongside her though this difficult ordeal. If you were to have asked Paul about Phyllis’s faults [Paul, of course, had none], he would have responded in this manner, ‘Firstly, Phyllis talks to herself all the time and secondly, she would never make me a trifle’ Paul leaves behind the love of his life – Phyllis, her sons Michael and Daryl, daughter in laws, the ‘Two Samantha’s’ and grandchildren Josh and Charlotte, Phyllis’s brother Les and his partner Mandy. [ Paul and Les were friends before Paul ever met Phyllis]. Phyllis’s mum [also called Phyllis] who adored Paul and always took his side against Phyllis. On Pauls side, and unable to be here today, he leaves behind brother Micky and his wife Ching, stepsister Sally, brother in law Ricky, sister Carol, her son Peter and his wife Breege and niece, Ava. A memorial service will be held in the UK at a later date for all family and friends who were unable to attend our celebration service here today in Mazarron. Say not with sorrow, he is no more…. But say with thankfulness….. he was With Love x