TRIBUTES TO GENTLE GIANT GRANDAD
The family of “absolute gentleman” Peter “Zak” Allen have paid tribute to the grandad-of-four who died after falling down the stairs of his Washington home.
The 62-year-old, who was known as Zak, passed away peacefully at Sunderland Royal Hospital surrounded by his family two weeks after he fell down the stairs in a “tragic accident”.
Zak’s loving family have now paid tribute to the “gentle giant who was“loved by all” and is greatly missed.
More than 300 people turned out for Zak’s funeral at Sunderland Crematorium after he passed away on November 2, 2019.
His youngest daughter, Hayley Johnson, said: “He loved to follow Sunderland AFCy. I used to go to the match with him when I was younger. He’s always followed them. He was a real club man. He had over 25 year’s service at the Westwood Club.
“He was the treasurer and he had been on the committee for over 25 years. He was still heavily involved with the miners,they gave us his banner for the funeral.
“He lived and breathed the Westwood, he was out four nights a week doing books and wages, committee meetings.”
Following his funeral, friends and family gathered at the Westwood Club to remember and celebrate Zak’s life.
Hayley’s husband, Paul Johnson, said: “It was such a nice comforting kind of feeling to have so many people there.”
Zak, who spent most of his working life as a miner at Herrington Colliery, married wife Li liana year after they first met at Fusion nightclub.
The couple, who were married for 40 years, had two daughter’s Kimberley, 39, and Hay ley, 37, and four Harry, Bobby and Sophia.
After the closure of the mine, Zak turned his hand to building work and finished working at the Asda warehouse before he had to retire due to ill health.
Eight years ago Zak suffered from kidney failure and needed a transplant. Despite extremely rare odds his wife Lilian was the perfect match. Last week, an inquest into Zak’s death heard he had fallen down the stairs and later lost consciousness and deteriorated in hospital.
A post-mortem examination foun dZ akhadsuffe red irreparable damage to his brain and had contracted pneumonia. Karin Welsh, assistant coroner, made a short form conclusion of accidental death.