‘I can’t believe the love that is out there’
Family’ s thanks for out pouring of tributes to Alex:
The family of tragic dad Alex Slark say they have been overwhelmed by the response to his death.
The 26-year-old’s black BMW 320i is believed to have collided with two stationary vehicles before then colliding with a heavy goods vehicle at the junction of the A1290 and Cherry Blossom Way while he was on his way to work at Nissan on Tuesday night.
Alex is survived by mum Brenda, 60, dad Alex,59, brother Jason Veitch, 42, and sisters Sharon Rowe, 41, Shelly Waddle, 39, Stephanie McIntyre, 30, and Stacey Bone, 29.
A JustGiving page set up by family friends Gemma Hunter and Stacey Wareing to help the family has raised more than £3,000.
The money will be used to help with funeral costs and provide for Alex’s four-yearold daughter Scarlett.
Social media has been filled with tributes for the last week and Stephanie said her little brother would have been delighted to know he was so popular online.
“He was social media mad,” she said.
“He lived for the likes, the shares and the comments.
“It has been a real comfort to the family.”
The online posts and tributes have been a huge comfort for Shelly: “It is nice to see his face out there,” she said.
“Every time you look at Facebook, there is another memory, there is another picture. “It is keeping him alive.” The family remember a son and brother whose per- sonality shone.
“He just had this infectious love that spread to everybody,” said Stacey.
“He could make anybody laugh.
“He was like Jim Carrey – he had this rubbery face that he could twist.”
Brenda suffers from depression, but Alex could always lift her spirits.
“Sometimes in the morning I would come downstairs and not want to speak,” she said.
“He would not leave me alone until he got a smile.”
She has been astonished to discover how many people cared for Alex.
“I can’t believe the love that is out there,” she said.
Alex Snr has been touched by the sheer number of people getting in touch to share memories, sympathy and best wishes.
“We are so amazed at the response and the number of people that we don’t even know but who knew him,” he said.
“And we would like to say a big ‘Thank you’ to the Sunderland Echo for such a moving tribute.”
“He could make anybody laugh. He was like Jim Carrey” SHELLY WADDLE