Tributes to Oakley, king of the one-liners

the best one-liners.”

Barrie also paid tribute to his son and added: “He was my co-pilot. He would sit in the front next to me when we went out in the car.”

“We’d take selfies when we stopped at the traffic lights. He wouldn’t let you take a picture of him unless it was a selfie.”

Barrie and Lorraine shared with the Examiner a photo of Oakley with a beaming smile on his face as they recalled the day it was taken.

Barrie said: “It was taken at his school nativity.

“He was so proud to be singing in front of everyone. He was like that – a true performer.

“It was a group song but everyone said you could hear him the loudest. He just loved to sing.”

Barrie said although Oakley had epilepsy and other health problems there were no warning signs the night before that anything was wrong.

He continued: “Oakley went to bed at around 8pm and by 9.30pm I could still hear him singing to himself which wasn’t unusual. He was singing ‘Little Donkey’ as he said it wasn’t just a Christmas song.

“I heard him snoring at around 10.30.”

Tragically, when Barrie went into Oakley’s bedroom on Saturday morning he was unable to wake him and quickly phoned an ambulance.

He added: “I wouldn’t wish that on any parents to find your child like that.”

Both Barrie and Lorraine are members of Huddersfield Spiritualist Church in Quarmby and say their faith has helped them face the passing of their son. They both agreed “it was his time.” Barrie thanked West Yorkshire Ambulance Service, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance which also attended, as well as close family friend Martin Lamburn, who arrived within minutes and helped him with CPR.

Lorraine was in Huddersfield Royal Infirmary at the time recovering from pneumonia. She wishes to thank the staff at HRI ward six for their support and compassion.

A fundraising page set up by the Brocklehurst’s friend Leanne has seen donations flood in towards Oakley’s funeral costs.

Lorraine added: “You look and there’s people who’ve donated and shared the page from as far as Devon, it’s so touching to think people who never even knew Oakley have donated.”

A celebration of Oakley’s life will take place at Huddersfield Crematorium on March 1 at 11.15am.

Barrie explained: “We are having a white carriage with white horses for his funeral.

“He would always go up to the police horses when we saw them out and about. He really loved them.”

His family have requested that those attending should wear bright colours with something purple if at all possible. Donations will be collected instead of flowers and split between two charities close to their hearts, Parents of Children with Additional Needs (PCAN) and Epilepsy Awareness.

To donate to the GoFundMe appeal go to https://www. gofundme.com/help-fund-littleoakleys-funeral-x