Dad's Funeral

It was Dad's funeral today. A sad day, as you'd expect, but helped with a few laughs later in the day with Musical Bill and his son Jim at The Windmill. I wore Dad's REME tie to the service, and Russell Read the 'Life in Words' tribute to Dad. We played Nelson Riddle, Frank Sinatra, Nat 'King' Cole and Peggy Lee for the musical interludes, which I'm sure Dad would have appreciated.

Born nearly 90 years ago in December 1932, in Poplar, in the East End, Frank was the only child of Frank Clinton Senior and wife Hannah.

By his own account Frank survived an early scare when, as a toddler, his horrified mother retrieved him from the outside sill of an open upstairs window on to which he had climbed.

The family moved to Forest Gate, going through the war together. Frank wasn’t evacuated and the family took their chances in the house or in the shelter in the back garden.

Frank’s education was disrupted by the war but nonetheless, on leaving school, he started work in the motor trade.

At 18, like all young men in those days, Frank was called-up to do his National Service. He served with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in Egypt, Kenya and Cyprus at the tail-end of Empire.  Many years later, Frank would tell the family his favourite stories from his REME days, perhaps more than once.

Whilst he was away, Frank’s mother became ill and died not long after he was demobbed, when he was aged just 21.

Frank joined his father working at the Johnnie Walker whisky warehouse in Whitechapel. It was there, in 1953, that one of Frank Senior’s colleagues introduced Frank Junior to their daughter, Patricia.  

Married three years later in 1956, Pat and Frank were together for nearly 70 years.

At first, Pat and Frank lived in rooms above Pat’s parents in Upton Park. When the two boys, Russell and Martin, came along the family soon moved to a flat close by.

Frank got a clerical job at the Port of London Authority in the Royal Docks – now the site of City Airport. Frank often lamented that the transport links only improved there after the docks shut!

In 1971, the family moved to a bungalow in Hornchurch where Pat and Frank spent 51 happy years together.

The boys left home and married Maureen and Siv and, in due course, along came granddaughter Grace and, very recently along with Grace's Partner Michael, great granddaughter Evelyn, to join the close-knit family of which Frank was so fond.  

Frank took early retirement from the docks in the early 1980’s and apart from some time as a messenger in the City, Pat and Frank enjoyed a very long and happy retirement together.

The increased leisure time allowed Frank to spend more time looking after his garden but also to develop his keen interest in music from the Sinatra era. He would relate the story of how, during a wartime radio show, his mother had remarked “Hear him? He’s called Frank Sinatra. I think he’s going to be quite big one day.”

Interest in the music of this period became a real hobby for Frank and, with Pat, they became members of the Sinatra Music Society, attending regular meetings in London and Southend.

Frank’s music collection from a wide range of artists of the period grew and, with the advent of the internet, Frank would scour the web for obscure and deleted recordings to download and catalogue. So much so that Frank’s CD collection is quite a feature on the shelving at home.

The music that the family has chosen for today is a tiny fraction of that collection. It includes instrumentals by one of Frank’s favourite arrangers, Nelson Riddle, and songs sung by Nat King Cole, Ol’ Blue Eyes himself and Peggy Lee.

Frank remarked to Pat how beautiful the song “Only Forever” was, and recently joked that “You Make Me Feel So Young” would be a good choice for the funeral of an elderly man. “The Folks Who Live On The Hill” tells a story that the family feels reflects the life and love that Pat and Frank shared.

But as Frank didn’t leave instructions for today’s playlist, we can but hope that these selections meet with his approval.

His ‘Darling Patsy’ spent nearly 70 years with Frank and it is impossible to sum these up adequately here. But they loved their family life and holidays which later included “Baz”, the family Beagle.

And once the boys were grown, Pat and Frank enjoyed their days out at the seaside or ‘up in town’ on long walks that took in the Royal Parks and the West End and typically included fish and chip lunches and ice creams.

In retirement Frank was also known to help Pat out in the kitchen, making his own unique versions of Spaghetti Bolognese and various casseroles.  These dishes were both tasty and shared the trait of leaving a messy kitchen for Pat to clear up whilst Frank dozed in the armchair.

Frank was, above all, a devoted family man who liked nothing more than to play cricket in the back garden with the boys when they were young, with Baz as an extra fielder.

And when he and Pat were willing childminders for their young granddaughter, Grace, Frank never once complained, even when he had to carry her scooter for the entire day on one of their West End walks when Grace decided not to use it.

Although Frank was a quiet man who did not show off his extensive knowledge on many subjects, over the years he imparted valuable knowledge on skills such as DIY and car maintenance.

Frank also taught his granddaughter everything she knows about growing plants and vegetables, as well as tactics for playing draughts and chess and how to make the best paper aeroplanes and add flight stabilisation, as required.

Frank loved his family deeply and was proud of all they achieved. He was there for them always, as they are here for him today.