Joseph Delaney

my grandad joseph delaney born 21st march 1925 he was the greatest man around he was simply the best and i miss him soooooo much. he was almost 76 when he died. i think about him every day and every night. at the time family life was great and he was the head of us all and kept us all on the straight and narrow as well as in tears of laughter at his repeated jokes and his sarcastic remarks to his jeer kath, my nanna who we cherish still to this day he loved her and every one of us and my dying wish would be to see him just one more time or even just to hear his voice saying tea up kath or jeer i'm starved to death. those that knew him will know what i mean!
I still remember been very little and my Grandad was always a big part of my life then, weather he was taking me on a bus ride usually to dewsbury or heckmondwyke and just a quick trip into town to the meat market for his muscles. I hated them but he always said they were grand he never convinced me though. My Grandad loved family life there were days when the house was full me Joe, Hayley,Kelly and Shaun, the grown ups my Mum Dad,Sharon, Phillip,Shelagh,Barney,Uncle Joe and lesley then a few years later a few more grandchildren Josh Ashley and Becky. we would all sit listening to his jokes watching him do his party piece which was pulling faces with no teeth in. Then he would ask if we were all hungry i say askedus he convinced us we were hungry and needed filling up when we all gave in and agreed we were he would tell my Nanna to make some thing to eat for us all. She never moaned thats how they were together and to be honest she loved making dinners her puddings were best either apple pie or apple crumble.
Dont miss interperate my Grandad into been a bully he was far from it my Nanna got her own back by either spending nights at bingo with my Aunty Alice or by just sat watching a horror movie.......... these were the best my Nanna was well still is bad with her nerves and when she got into her movies and something unexpected happened Grandad suffered. With whatever she was holding at the time as she usually flung them accross the room as she jump in fright. I have seen Grandad with cig burns and bruises and alsorts. It depended what she had in her hand at the time a cig an ash tray, tea was the best Grandad would have the cup on his lap and tea dripping from his nose.
Grandad tried to keep her tv under wraps by trying to tape soaps with his video plus and watching them later on instead of the late night films. He thought the video plus was the best invension yet it was always video plus this video plus that but he was forever taping the wrong thing and guess what........ it was never his fault it was either my Nannas, ITVs or that the radio times's code was wrong. He would say ''Its not often am wrong but this time im right now B off!''
Grandad was always active not much around the house but he was always on his travels either walking to the bookies the doctors or the post offfice I dont know why he went to the post office for but he seemed to go daily! The walking however stopped when he decided he wanted a car again so off he went in his lilac fiesta my Dad gave him a refresher course and he was off now he was in Dewsbury daily!
I remembered when he retired he went out and bought a tracksuit then he got my Nanna to take photos of him up a ladder washing the windows, painting even washing up he then took the photos back into where he worked and said he had been really busy doing chores. However he wasnt actually doing the washing up, painting and cleaning the windows he was pretending to ie just posing. He even got one framed and put it on the shelf next to his gold clock which was his pride and joy he got it for retiring from Fields.
When Grandad passed away he took part of us all with him especially my Nanna it broke her heart to loose him but we still have her thankfully and we do our bests to make sure she is ok and try bring a bit of happiness back into her life. We still sit with her and laugh about Grandads jokes and punch lines and his diy posing photos and look up at his gold clock and fight back tears and smile for my Nannas sake.
Good night and god bless Grandad see you one day again I hope. I promise we will look after Nanna for you until you meet again..........
love you loads and loads and loads JD, FROM MANDY X