The son of a popular great grandmother who died two months after being hit by a bus has described her as “the most selfless person I have ever met in my life”.
Dorothy “Dot” Bryan, 75, died after suffering a stroke just one week after she returned home from hospital following the accident.
She had spent more than two months in hospital following the crash on December 4 last year.
Dorothy’s son, Robert Bryan, an electrician from Norton, has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of grief and messages of support Dorothy’s family has received since her death.
Robert, 48, said: “I knew she was popular but none of us can believe the amount of cards of condolence we’ve received.
“At Christmas we would have all the walls covered with cards from ceiling to floor. But we’ve had hundreds, if not thousands of sympathy cards.
“She knew everybody, from the bus driver to his aunties, uncles and cousins. The staff at the big Tesco even sent us a card and some flowers and they organised a whip-round for the Butterwick Hospice.
“She made that much of an impact.”
A strong woman with an outgoing personality, Dorothy was a well-known face in Norton where she had lived in her home on Eamont Road since 1968.
“She was a very big strong woman while my dad was a small quiet bloke. You would hear my mum before you saw her,” said Robert.
“Our dad, Joe, worked for ICI while mum was a full-time housewife looking after us four lads - William is the eldest, Neville second, then Edward and finally me.”
“As well as us four, she used to take all the kids in the street to the shops and to the park. She would take everybody else’s kids with us for long walks to Ropner Park and through to the ‘six fields’ - that’s where we’re thinking of scattering her ashes.
“She was the most down to earth and selfless person I have ever met in my life.
“She was one of those people who was always helping others - if someone dropped their shopping, she would be the first to help pick it up. For many years she helped out with the pensioners at the Malleable Club.
“When I went round to her house just the other day, there were two cats waiting outside her door - she must have been feeding them.”
Dorothy’s tragic accident was a huge blow to the Robert and his family. Sadly, Dorothy, already a grandmother and great grandmother never had chance to meet her youngest great granddaughter, Jessica, who was born just after the accident.
Remembering his active and fun-loving mum, Robert said: “She never drank or smoked but she must have walked thousands of miles.
“Nothing would stop her getting out and about. She had rheumatoid arthritis but that didn’t stop her even though she was in agony a lot of the time. She just wouldn’t stay in the house.
“She knew about the problems and had mentioned to us all about the dangers of the buses going down Stockton High Street.”
Dorothy suffered serious head and chest injuries in the accident.
After a long stay in hospital, she returned home only to suffer a major stroke a week later on February 24.
“There was person after person after person going to see her in hospital,” said Robert, adding, “She’s going to be missed by a lot of people.
“She used to love that photo of her and my wife Denise. It sums her up really, carrying on and laughing.”
Dorothy’s funeral will be held at St Bede’s Chappel on Acklam Road, Middlesbrough, at 11.30am this Friday, March 13.
All friends and family are welcome to join in the celebration of Dot’s life at The Malleable Club on Norton Road, Norton, after the funeral.
No comments:
Post a Comment