Ken Akehurst Funeral & Memorial
Donation protected
Dear all
As many of our family & friends know by now, Dad (Ken) passed away shortly before Xmas.
Dad was admitted to hospital due to an infection in his hip, this was being treated well & we had expected to see dad home by Xmas, sadly whilst in Hospital he caught Hospital Acquired Covid, at first it was thought dad would be able to fight off the infection & Covid, but just 10 days later he succumbed & passed away peacefully & pain free with his loving wife of 49yrs beside him.
Those that knew him knew a man that loved life to its fullest, always on the go, always pottering about the garden when he had time & loved to have a joke or two, often at his expense to have a laugh. Loved by all he met, having the ability to reassure & make you feel calm around him.
Dad meant the world to his family, as they did to him, ever grateful for everything he did & a lot he did for us all, he would never say no to anything we asked of him, as some will know Dad had dedicated his life to helping others, he would always put others before himself, always going to any length to make sure someone in need got the help they needed, often or not to great expense to himself.
Dad found himself in the right place, wrong time (for others), I will explain, Dad had a knack for being somewhere when someone was having a bad day. Having spent 26yrs as a front line Paramedic also receiving a bravery award for pulling patients from a burning hospital ward, he would be the first to step in to do his duty (on or off), I have seen Dad jump right in & take over the care of a complete stranger many a time, heard the stories from others & was always so proud of him, Dad truly was our hero, inspiring me to take on similar roles within the medical field & voluntary work.
Throughout his life Dad wanted to make sure his kids & the kids around him had everything he could give them, Dad volunteered his services in every possible way, from my earliest memories he was a 15th Reigate Cub Scout Leader, TS Zephyr Sea Cadets Petty Officer, Redhill Corps of Drums volunteer, Chairman for Riding for the Disabled (started the group in area he was living in), set up an animal rescue centre but wanted kids to get involved so arranged for Inner City Kids to come & stay on his farm with rescued animals to help rehabilitate those in need, leading my sister to go on to work with animals, he traded in his daily driver to buy a minibus to transport kids as the charities he worked with could not afford one so gave up his time and money to step in, every charity he was with he would give kids basic First Aid training, this is to name but a few of so much he gave to so many. I am forever thankful to have had a father that inspired & gave so much to so many & asked nothing in return.
The encouragement from dad was never ending, not just for me, inspiring, teaching, guiding & saving people his whole life.
The World has lost a great man.
I want to carry on his ways by firstly giving him the fitting send off he deserves, but to also help a charity he wanted so much to help, as a Veteran himself he always would speak of Homeless Veterans & the sadness of seeing ex Servicemen left to fend for themselves & often with mental health issues, so we wish to raise as much as we can to give Dad his last wish.
My sister & I could not have asked for a Dad a Father a mentor as great as him, we feel blessed to have had so many fond memories & cherished times.
If you can spare anything I know he would be so grateful.
As many of our family & friends know by now, Dad (Ken) passed away shortly before Xmas.
Dad was admitted to hospital due to an infection in his hip, this was being treated well & we had expected to see dad home by Xmas, sadly whilst in Hospital he caught Hospital Acquired Covid, at first it was thought dad would be able to fight off the infection & Covid, but just 10 days later he succumbed & passed away peacefully & pain free with his loving wife of 49yrs beside him.
Those that knew him knew a man that loved life to its fullest, always on the go, always pottering about the garden when he had time & loved to have a joke or two, often at his expense to have a laugh. Loved by all he met, having the ability to reassure & make you feel calm around him.
Dad meant the world to his family, as they did to him, ever grateful for everything he did & a lot he did for us all, he would never say no to anything we asked of him, as some will know Dad had dedicated his life to helping others, he would always put others before himself, always going to any length to make sure someone in need got the help they needed, often or not to great expense to himself.
Dad found himself in the right place, wrong time (for others), I will explain, Dad had a knack for being somewhere when someone was having a bad day. Having spent 26yrs as a front line Paramedic also receiving a bravery award for pulling patients from a burning hospital ward, he would be the first to step in to do his duty (on or off), I have seen Dad jump right in & take over the care of a complete stranger many a time, heard the stories from others & was always so proud of him, Dad truly was our hero, inspiring me to take on similar roles within the medical field & voluntary work.
Throughout his life Dad wanted to make sure his kids & the kids around him had everything he could give them, Dad volunteered his services in every possible way, from my earliest memories he was a 15th Reigate Cub Scout Leader, TS Zephyr Sea Cadets Petty Officer, Redhill Corps of Drums volunteer, Chairman for Riding for the Disabled (started the group in area he was living in), set up an animal rescue centre but wanted kids to get involved so arranged for Inner City Kids to come & stay on his farm with rescued animals to help rehabilitate those in need, leading my sister to go on to work with animals, he traded in his daily driver to buy a minibus to transport kids as the charities he worked with could not afford one so gave up his time and money to step in, every charity he was with he would give kids basic First Aid training, this is to name but a few of so much he gave to so many. I am forever thankful to have had a father that inspired & gave so much to so many & asked nothing in return.
The encouragement from dad was never ending, not just for me, inspiring, teaching, guiding & saving people his whole life.
The World has lost a great man.
I want to carry on his ways by firstly giving him the fitting send off he deserves, but to also help a charity he wanted so much to help, as a Veteran himself he always would speak of Homeless Veterans & the sadness of seeing ex Servicemen left to fend for themselves & often with mental health issues, so we wish to raise as much as we can to give Dad his last wish.
My sister & I could not have asked for a Dad a Father a mentor as great as him, we feel blessed to have had so many fond memories & cherished times.
If you can spare anything I know he would be so grateful.
Organizer
Richard Akehurst
Organizer