Thanks for all your support
JACK Charlton’s widow has thanked the “hundreds and hundreds” of people who have sent cards since the football legend’s death on July 10.
Pat Charlton said she had been inundated with flowers and messages from around the world paying tribute to her late husband.
The 85-year-old great grandmother, married to the World Cup hero for 62 years, also expressed her gratitude to the thousands who turned out in Charlton’s hometown of Ashington to pay their respects - including his brothers Tommy, 74, and Gordon, 77.
Comforted by grandchildren John, 12, Niamh, 10, and sevenyear-old Roisin, Pat said: “I have been receiving flowers for two weeks now and so many sympathy cards.
“There are mass cards from Ireland but they have come from all over the country, all over the world, including America and Australia.
“That was Jack,” added Pat, surrounded by bouquets at her home in Dalton, near Newcastle.
“He was the same with everyone, he always had a kind word. There are really special memories from the people he met.”
Floral tributes included one from Sir Bobby Charlton, 82, unable to attend his brother’s funeral due to ill health.
Pat said one of the most memorable messages came from an ex-Little Chef manager.
Jack had walked into the restaurant where Doreen Corner worked near her home in Thirsk, North Yorks.
He explained he had just broken down on his way to a fishing trip nearby. So Doreen, a Leeds United fan, let him borrow her car... and he duly drove off for the day’s outing.
He returned with a £20 gift, the car filled with petrol and his autograph.
Doreen said: “I knew who he was as I watched him on TV with my boys.
“I could not do anything else but let him enjoy his fishing. He had a fantastic life and was loved by all.”