Extraordinary lives
MY HUSBAND DAVID
DAVID was born in Runcorn, Cheshire, but the family moved to Birkenhead on the Wirral when he was very young. He was christened David Stuart Brown — his initials D.S.B. echoed the bread advert marketing slogan Don’t Say Brown, Say Hovis, so his nickname throughout his life was Hovis. He joined the Liverpool Pilot Service in 1956 and after seven years of exams became a firstclass river pilot. It’s a dangerous job. The pilots take control of ships entering or leaving the Mersey, using their expert knowledge of local conditions and ship navigation skills to ensure a safe passage. David described it as the best job in the world. His second home was the Mersey and he often said he piloted by the stars. We met through a mutual friend while I was working at the Bank of England in Liverpool. David proposed on the steps of this Grade I-listed building. We married in 1967 and had three children, Jennifer, Jacqueline and Stephen. In 1984, David worked in Yanbu in Saudi Arabia piloting some of the biggest ships in the world. He
returned to his beloved Mersey in 1986, where he worked as a senior pilot until retirement, giving him the chance to spend time with our grandchildren Adam and Joy. Once, boarding a ship in a force seven gale, the rope ladder broke and he was plunged into the sea. He swam clutching his holdall until he was rescued. To counteract the shock, the crew filled him full of whisky. He was returned home wet and drunk! David had many hobbies. Athletics, playing rugby for
Hoylake RFC, singing in the church choir, playing trumpet in a band, model engineering, gardening, woodwork and ship photography. He had a well-deserved reputation for being able to mend virtually anything. He made a lot of our furniture, using all the tools and machinery he had shoehorned into the back of the house. He was endlessly patient and very much a perfectionist. It was a rare day that he had to admit defeat over a repair job. We had five large dogs, one after the other, over the course of our 52 years of marriage. Many a time David would arrive home from work in the middle of the night, but before he could go to bed the dog would be waiting by the door for his walk and biscuits. At the funeral it was said David was one of life’s amazing people, kind and never too busy to help anyone. A perfect epitaph.
David StUart Brown, born february 21, 1940; died September 1, 2019, aged 79.
Have you lost a relative or friend in recent months whose life you’d like to celebrate? our friday column tells the stories of ordinary people who lived extraordinary lives. email your 350-word tribute to: lives@dailymail.co. uk or write to: extraordinary Lives, Scottish daily Mail, 20 Waterloo Street, Glasgow G2 6dB. Please include a contact phone number.