A practical family man who enjoyed a laugh
ARTHUR BINT LOVED HOLIDAYS WITH THE FAMILY, WATCHING MIDDLESBROUGH FC AND TINKERING WITH MACHINERY. AND EVEN A SERIOUS WORK ACCIDENT, THEN ILLNESS COULDN’T DENT HIS SPIRIT IN LATER YEARS
HE’D been a lifelong fan, so it was fitting that Middlesbrough FC should open the gates one last time for Arthur Bint so his funeral cortege could pass through, his coffin draped with a flag kindly presented by the club.
The father-of-four passed away after bravely battling Huntington’s disease, but he left behind a legacy of love from a life filled with fun and plenty of adventures.
“Dad was a happy person. He loved to have a laugh and a joke,” says youngest son, Keiron. “And a sneaky Bacardi and Coke when Mam wasn’t looking…”
Originally from Brotton, Arthur was the youngest of 15 children of Vera and pit worker Sidney.
He left Warsett School aged 15 and became a joiner’s apprentice.
“Dad loved the job,” says Keiron. “He was very handy and could turn his hand to anything, especially if it saved him paying someone else!”
Arthur was 19 when he met Jennifer, and they married on
January 13, 1973. They had three children, Shane, Debbie and Keiron, and Arthur was happy to adopt Alistair, Jennifer’s son from a previous relationship.
They set up home in Carlin How, where Arthur, “well-liked and sociable” became sports secretary at the local social club, before eventually settling in Loftus.
Shortly after they moved, Arthur – a qualified joiner, then an HGV driver – secured a role at Boulby Mine. It was there that he suffered a near-fatal accident in the mid-80s. “He was buried alive, and they thought he was dead,” says Keiron.
But Arthur defied the odds and, despite physical and mental injuries that left him unable to work, he made the most of his life.
The family bought a caravan at Flamingo Land where they’d go at weekends and school holidays, and later at the Blue Dolphin Park near Filey. Once the kids were older, Arthur and Jennifer loved to spend winters in Spain, and even managed holidays to Florida and Mexico. When the couple weren’t globetrotting, Arthur liked tinkering in his garage – he was passionate about motorbikes and cars.
A proud grandfather of 18, Arthur was diagnosed with debilitating
Dad was a happy person. He loved to have a laugh and a joke – and a sneaky Bacardi and Coke when Mam wasn’t looking! Keiron, Arthur’s son
Huntington’s disease in 2008 and, while it took much from him, he never let it get the better of him.
He spent his last few years in Sand Banks Nursing Home in Redcar where, while communicating wasn’t easy, he still managed to greet visitors with a huge grin and a firm thumbs-up.