Dave Thomason
~ Tommo ~
Dave was born in Leigh on the 31st July 1963, second son to Leslie and Florence Thomason.
Dave attended Pennington CE infant and junior school and then moved to Leigh CE High School at age 11.
It was at the High School that Dave met Denise Donohue, the one true love of his life.
Dave left school at age 16 years and started his apprenticeship as a welder at David Browns in Leigh.
Dave was very close to his lovely Mum and he was just 21 when sadly his mum aged 59 passed away after battling cancer.
At age 22 Dave and Denise married at St Peter’s Church in Leigh and set up their first home together at No 1 Welton Close Leigh.
They spent 9 fabulous years there before moving to a bigger home at 20 Bowden Close Leigh.
Age 25 Dave joined Greater Manchester Fire Service and had a wonderful 30 years service, retiring as Watch Manager at Hindley Fire Station in 2017.
Dave and Denise had 2 sons Adam and Andrew and both boys made Dave such a proud Dad.
A heavy metal fan!
Dave loved his heavy metal music ! Black Sabbath, Motörhead and Metallica to name a few. Songs played at his funeral were Nothing Else Matters and Ace of Spades!
The church was packed to the rafters on that day, so many people paid tribute to a wonderful man. His many friends from the Fire Service attended with a guard of honour lining the street on both sides, all in full uniform. He would have been so touched to see so many people there.
Also at his funeral was Ozzy, his beloved black Labrador. Ozzy walked in front of his coffin, there wasn’t a dry eye in the church.
Bikes and Trains
Dave had many hobbies, he had a passion for motorbikes and went to the IOM TT races for over 20 years ! He was often found tinkering in his garage with his bikes, his last one being Suzuki GSXR 11OO which he enjoyed rides out especially in the sunshine .
Another passion he had was for Steam trains and he loved to go to the York Railway Museum.
Whilst Dave spent hours looking around, Denise was to be found in the cafe drinking coffee and eating cake !
Sunshine and Rugby…
Another of Dave’s passion was rugby league. He was a season ticket holder for Leigh Centurions - The Mighty Centurions as he called them!
Both Adam and Andy shared his love of rugby and both played for Leigh Miners Rangers. Dave loved watching the boys play on Sunday mornings. He would always stand away from the other parents, including Denise he couldn’t be doing with the Mums and Dads shouting from the touch line !
He continued to watch Adam play when he moved to Leigh Miners open age and loved nothing better than chatting to Adam after a match, discussing all that had happened during the game.
Dave enjoyed his holidays in the sunshine, he especially loved Santa Ponsa in Majorca and went there as a family and continued to go with Denise when the boys left home. He would always say how lucky and fortunate we were to have 2 such fabulous sons. He was incredibly proud of them.
He enjoyed his real ale and at 6ft 3 he had hollow legs ! Many of his mates struggled to keep up with him on his regular Lads Friday nights out!
He also enjoyed a glass of rose wine with Denise, he’d often have a glass waiting for her when she came home from a late shift.
Dave and Denise were like yin and yang opposites attract - childhood sweethearts happily married for almost 32 years.
Dave was more strict than Denise with the boys - he was bad cop Denise was good cop! Both boys have fond memories of a very happy childhood - he would often say to them ‘Remember what ever you get up to I’ve already done it ‘ and when they were going on holiday or on a night out he would say ‘Think on Don’t do owt daft ‘
When Andy left home at 16 to join the RAF he was such a fantastic support to Denise, especially when Andy was serving in Afghanistan.
He always knew the right thing to say, he was full of wisdom and family leant on him heavily as he could fix and sort anything out!
He was a good kind man with a very dry sense of humour and was loved so much by his family and friends. Some friends he’d known for almost 40 years and his sudden and unexpected death was such a great loss to so many.
A well respected man.
Dave had retired from the Fire Service at Christmas and passed away just 3 months later
He was fit and well and had a massive heart attack at home with Denise by his side
He had looked forward so much to his retirement and had so many things planned.
Life can be very cruel, Denise Adam and Andy were left devastated and still miss him terribly.
Since his death Dave and Denise have become Grandparents to Alfie and Amelia The most precious gifts sent to us by Dave.
The children know all about their Grandad and know when they see a robin or a white feather, it’s their Grandad Dave saying he’s with them.
Dave lives on in his sons who both share traits of his personality which is so comforting to see.
At 54 years old his life was cut short but we get some comfort knowing that he lived a very happy and fun filled life. A man who was loved and respected not only by his family but also by his many friends and colleagues.
His memory is still very much alive and always will be.
Dave is far too loved to ever be forgotten.
Rest In Peace Dave until we meet again
GALLERY
