Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
‘Dad was a proud man, he didn’t at any time give in to his illness’
Derek Carroll passed away at the city’s Roxburghe House last Friday after having been diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus .
His daughter Nicola, 36, said: “A couple of weeks before he died, he actually got himself out of the hospital and went along to watch his son Gaige, 19, play a game for Fintry Athletic.
“That was so typical of Dad. He loved his family and he loved his football.
“Dad was a long-time supporter of the club and he was very supportive of Gaige and his other son, Jay, 17, who also played.
“The people at the club called him the 12th man, he was always running up and down the sidelines.”
Nicola said that Derek, 59, a former paratrooper, was a “true character” who was much loved by everyone who knew him.
She said: “After he was admitted to hospital all his old Army mates came to visit. Dad said he couldn’t believe the support he received after people learned he was ill.
“He was a proud man and didn’t at any time give in to the illness.
“We like to think that Dad didn’t lose his battle with cancer but rather that he decided when the time was right to go.”
Derek, who grew up in Fintry and came back to live in the area after serving 15 years in the Army, was first taken to hospital from work six weeks ago when he became very ill.
Nicola said: “He went in on the Monday and never came out again.
“By the Wednesday he was given his diagnosis and was told that there was nothing that could be done.
“Dad was so much more accepting than the rest of us and he helped us so much to cope with his illness.”
Describing her dad as “stoic” and “proud”, Nicola said he had a great sense of humour.
She said: “Dad was also blunt and straightforward.
“He had a lot of banter with the doctors and when they would ask him how he was feeling he would respond saying ‘I’m dying how do think I’m feeling?’.
“It was just his Army sense of humour, it never left him.
“He was a larger than life character — when he gave you a cuddle it was a bear hug and in lots of ways I’ll remember him as a brilliant nutter.”
Derek’s mum, Irene Downie, 76, said he was a respectful and loving son who would be very much missed by everyone who knew him.
James Martin of Fintry Athletic FC said Derek was loved by everyone at the club. He said: “Derek was always a great supporter of the team. We hope to have an event sometime in the future to celebrate his life.”
According to his wishes Derek’s open coffin will be in the Powrie Bar in Fintry on Thursday, the day before his funeral, for friends to go along to pay tribute. The funeral will be held at Our Lady of Sorrows Church and at Balgay Cemetery.
Derek also has a daughter, Natalie, 28, and three grandchildren, Brogan Timmons, 17, Starr Carroll, 12, and nine-year-old Rayne Watson.
The family of a Dundee dad and grandad who died just six weeks after he was diagnosed with cancer told today how he got out of his death bed to watch his son play football one last time.