Tributes to young dad married with just two days left to live

Friends and family rallied round to help ailing Gavin, 30, wed partner Kirsty, hours before cancer took him

TRIBUTES have been paid to a young dad who died of cancer just days after marrying his partner of five years earlier this month.

Gavin Howarth, who had just turned 30 in early March, was found to be suffering from multiple cancers in a shock diagnosis on Easter Sunday, and given two months to live.

Plans were quickly made for him and girlfriend Kirsty, 27, to marry on May 6, but when his health took a sudden turn for the worse on April 30, they ended up tying the knot in their front room that evening.

Gavin tragically passed away less than two days later on May 2.

The couple had one son together, three-year-old Lucian, and Gavin was also stepdad to Kirsty’s older son Bryce, who turned seven on Wednesday this week (May 13).

Kirsty’s mum Sandra Whittaker, of Buxton Crescent, said: “They were a really special couple. Gavin was a great man, smiling all the time - he had a heart of gold.

“He was a great dad, boyfriend and husband and a fantastic stepdad to Bryce - he knew his favourite superhero was Superman, so he went to pick him up from school one time all dressed up and took him to McDonalds. That’s the kind of person he was.”

Kirsty said: “I’ve been finding it quite hard but my kids have got me through - I have to keep going for them.

“My eldest is up and down, sometimes he says he misses his daddy. The youngest doesn’t know too much of what’s going on but he just knows that daddy’s in heaven now.”

Kirsty and Gavin had discussed getting married before his diagnosis, but Sandra said they had waited as Gavin wanted to make sure they had enough money for him to give her everything she wanted.

He had shown symptoms of shortness of breath and severe back pain in the weeks before he finally visited a doctor for tests in March - however the family initially put this down to complications from his asthma.

The family initially thought Gavin’s back pains were connected with the lifting involved in his work as a carpet fitter.

His pain was so severe that he left his job at Heywood’s Carpet and Flooring Centre and went to work at Kendal’s Fish and Chip Shop on The Strand in October of last year.

Having suffered from TB as a child and losing a lung in the process, Gavin initially underwent tests to determine whether it had come back - however doctors eventually discovered a lymphoma, as well as tumours in his liver, kidneys and brain.

When the couple realised that time was running out, friends, neighbours and local businesses rallied round to donate supplies for them to hold a wedding and reception in the garden of their home on Friar’s Crescent on May 6.

Sandra said: “I had a group of about 10 or 12 friends who I thought could help and asked them to spread the word. We were just overwhelmed by what people gave us - some gave us some white drapes or some artificial flowers to make the place look beautiful, people offered us a balloon arch and some pretty white fairy lights.

“My brother-in-law James Oldham spent three days doing up the garden, cleaning up all the stone work, planting flowers and making it nice for them. Even though it didn’t end up happening in the garden, we still had people offering to come and do hair and make up and other nice things.”

Local members of the ‘Woody’s For Sale or Swap’ Facebook group donated

●●Kirsty and Gavin Howarth with sons Bryce, seven, and Lucian, three, with Kirsty’s mum Sandra (second right) on their wedding day equipment for the garden, whilst other support came from One Shop Weddings, who donated £1000 worth of wedding supplies, and Morrisons, which provided party food for the reception.

Sandra added: “Some people have donated money, people they don’t even know. I had no idea people could be so lovely - we only asked for a few items but to think of what we got, I just can’t say thank you enough.”

Preparations for the wedding continued as Kirsty became Gavin’s full time carer, having to administer a long list of painkillers to help him deal with the constant pain he was in.

Sandra said: “She rang me a few times saying “mum, I don’t think I can do this”, but she’s a brave girl and much stronger than she realises.”

Gavin’s eyesight deteriorated sharply following his diagnosis, so friends of the couple clubbed together to buy them a bigger TV as well as a PS4 - however he was never able to use the latter before his death.

Sandra also paid tribute to nurses from Springhill Hospice who made visits to the couple’s home to help Kirsty during Gavin’s final weeks.

It was after a nursing visit on April 30 that Kirsty was advised to push the wedding forward as Gavin didn’t have long left. Two registrars were able to come to the house that evening, and Kirsty and Gavin were married at 6pm with just their two boys, Sandra, Gavin’s mum Mandy and the two registrars in the room. Gavin’s brother Lee and sister Gina and Kirsty’s dad Karl watched the ceremony from the garden.

Sandra said it was an

“emotional” ceremony, but paid tribute to the registrars for doing everything they could to make the day special, including bringing sweets for Bryce and Lucian.

“It was just like a normal wedding,” she said.

Gavin’s funeral will take place at Rochdale Crematorium on Friday (May 15) with only a small number of close family members in attendance due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

His funeral cortege will pass by the chip shop where he worked, and staff will stand outside to pay their respects and release balloons in his honour.

Gavin’s former boss from the carpet centre in Heywood has also shown his support to the family, gifting Bryce and Lucian, who are Arsenal fans like Gavin, special club strips bearing the words ‘No. 1 Daddy’ on the shirts.