David Lister

This was written by his wife Rae-Michele Lister and read at his funeral.

TO TRY AND SUM UP THE LIFE OF DAVID LISTER WOULD TAKE MORE TIME THAN WE HAVE HERE TODAY. THERE ARE TOO MANY STORIES, AS HE WAS A MAN WHO WAS NOT OBSCURE OR IN THE BACKGROUND TO ANYONE WHO KNEW OR CAME IN CONTACT WITH HIM.

DAVID WAS BORN IN WARTIME AND GREW UP AND WENT TO SCHOOL IN NORTH LONDON. SADLY HE LOST HIS FATHER WHO\'S SHIP WAS TORPEDOED AND HE DIED WHEN DAVID WAS TWO YEARS OF AGE. THIS BROUGHT HIM VERY CLOSE TO HIS MOTHER WHO HE ADORED.

HE ALWAYS LOVED MUSIC AND WAS AN ENTERTAINER FROM THE EARLIEST OF AGES AND AT THE AGE OF SEVEN HE WAS SPOTTED DOING ROCK AND ROLL IMITATIONS OF ELVIS PRESLEY IN THE GARDEN.

AT THE AGE OF 14 HE FRONTED A SKIFFLE GROUP “THE ODD SOCKS” AND THEY WON THE JUNIOR SKIFFLE COMPETITION ON RADIO CAROLINE. HE ALSO PLAYED IN THE 59 CLUB IN HACKNEY AND INSPIRED AT THAT TIME A YOUNG HARRY WEBB NOW KNOWN AS CLIFF RICHARD.

FOR MANY YEARS DAVID DRIFTED IN AND OUT OF THE ENTERTAINMENT WORLD SUPPLEMENTING HIS REST PERIODS WITH MANY JOBS, TOO MANY TO ITEMISE TODAY, THESE BEING THE CAUSE OF MUCH MERRIMENT THROUGH THE YEARS WITH BOTH FAMILY AND FRIENDS. WHENEVER ANYONE MENTIONED A JOB DAVID HAD DONE IT.

DURING ONE OF THESE JOBS HE HAD A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AND SEVERED THE TENDONS AND ARTERY IN HIS RIGHT WRIST. CAUSING HIM TO HAVE TO USE HIS LEFT HAND AS HE WAS NORMALLY RIGHT HANDED.

DAVID SPENT MANY YEARS DOING TELEVISION WORK AND WOULD RELATE HIS EXPERIENCE OF A HORSE STANDING ON HIS FOOT DURING THE PEFORMANCE OF HIS ROLE IN FALL OF EAGLES TO THE AMUSEMENT OF THE LISTENER IN THE WAY HE TOLD IT.

HE WAS THE STAR ENTERTAINER ON CRUISE SHIPS WHERE HE SANG AND PLAYED THE GUITAR BESIDES BEING AN ALL ROUND ENTERTAINER.

IN AUGUST 1974 HE MET, WHO HE SAID WAS THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE, MICHELE, WHO WAS ON HOLIDAY WITH HER MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER. NOT ONLY DID MICHELE THINK WHAT A WONDERFUL PERSONALITY HE HAD BUT SO DID HER MOTHER AND HE IMMEDIATELY BECAME PART OF THE FAMILY.

THEY WERE MARRIED THE FOLLOWING YEAR ON 19TH FEBRUARY ONE MONTH BEFORE MICHELE’S SEVENTEENTH BIRTHDAY. A LOVE AFFAIR WHICH LASTED UNTIL THE DAY HE DIED.

AFTER MARRYING MICHELE HE CHOSE TO GIVE UP HIS CRUISE LINE ENTERTAINING BECAUSE HE WOULD NOT BE SEPARATED FROM HER. HE THEN CONTINUED WITH HIS T.V WORK AND MANY WILL REMEMBER HIM IN THE SERIES \'I CLAUDIUS\' AMONG MANY OTHERS. HE ALSO PERFORMED IN SUMMER SEASONS AND CLUBS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY WHERE MICHELE COULD ACCOMPANY HIM. HE ALSO BECAME ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF EQUITY.

IN 1979 HE SUFFERED A STROKE WHERE HE LOST HIS MOBILITY FOR 9 MONTHS WHICH NECESSITATED MICHELE TO TAKE PART TIME EMPLOYMENT AS A LEGAL SECRETARY.
HIS DETERMINATION NOT TO BE AN INVALID MADE HIM FIGHT BACK AND HE MADE A WONDERFUL RECOVERY BUT FORCING HIM TO GIVE UP PERFORMING PROFESSIONALLY BECAUSE OF THE STRESS INVOLVED.

DAVE WAS ALSO A PROFESSIONAL DRIVER QUALIFYING IN LICENCES IN HEAVY GOODS, PASSENGER SERVICE VEHICLES, AND AS A CLASS ONE DRIVING INSTRUCTOR. DUE TO THIS HE WAS OFFERED A POSITION WITH LONDON TRANSPORT AS AN ELITE DRIVER, ONE OF ONLY 15 IN THE COUNTRY. IRONICALLY ENTERTAINMENT ENTERED HIS LIFE AGAIN AS HE WAS CHOSEN FOR ALL LONDON TRANSPORT\'S MAJOR EVENTS AND T.V.WORK AND HE STARRED IN THE CLAPHAM OMNIBUS DOCUMENTARY.

AT THE SAME TIME MICHELE WAS OFFERED A POSITION AS SCHEME MANAGER IN A RETIREMENT HOUSING SCHEME AND DAVID BECAME VERY INVOLVED WITH RESIDENTS, TAKING THEM ON OUTINGS ON HIS DAYS OFF AND PUTTING ON ENTERTAINMENT NIGHTS. HE CONTINUED TO DO THIS
IN HER LATEST SCHEME ORCHARD HOUSE.

IN JUNE 1997 HE HAD A SERIOUS HEART ATTACK FROM WHICH HE NEVER FULLY RECOVERED. HIS HEALTH DETERIORATED YEAR BY YEAR BUT HE NEVER LOST HIS SENSE OF HUMOUR WHICH COULD BE OUTRAGEOUS AT TIMES.

HE WAS POPULAR WITH EVERYBODY AND WAS A GREAT HELP AND GUIDANCE TO MICHELE WHO WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTINUE WITH HER OCCUPATION WITHOUT THIS SUPPORT AS SHE WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT HIM.

THROUGH ALL HIS ILLNESSES AND INCAPACITY HE NEVER COMPLAINED AND DEALT WITH THEM WITH GREAT FORTITUDE AND BRAVERY. DURING THE LAST TEN YEARS OF HIS LIFE HE SPENT EVERY DAY TRYING TO LIVE LIFE TO THE FULL, TRYING TO DO THINGS AS IF HE WAS FIT. EVEN IN ADVERSITY HE WAS STILL THE ENTERTAINER AND WOULD TEASE AND WIND UP PEOPLE UP UNTIL THEY BIT, THEN YOU WOULD SEE IN HIS EYES THE MERRIMENT AND HE GAVE A CHEEKY GRIN.

WHEN HE HAD LOW DAYS HE ALWAYS RECOGNISED THEM AND REGRETTED THAT HE WAS GRUMPY WITH FRUSTRATION. MICHELE WOULD SAY SMILE AND HE WOULD REPLY \'I AM SMILING ON THE INSIDE\'.

DAVE AND MICHELE SPENT MANY YEARS TOGETHER BOATING ON THE THAMES AND TOUCHED THE LIVES OF FELLOW BOATERS.

THEY ALSO CRUISED TOGETHER AND SAW MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD.

DAVID LOVED MUSIC, NATURE, ANIMALS THE GARDEN AND NEW TECHNOLOGY. HE WAS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS “ MR GADGET.” HE WAS A CRITIC AND A PERFECTIONIST, ALWAYS DOING THINGS TO THE BEST OF HIS ABILITY

ALTHOUGH DAVID WAS VERY ILL HE WAS THE ROCK MICHELE DEPENDED ON. THEY WERE ABSOLUTE SOUL MATES.

THE LAST TWO WEEKS OF HIS LIFE, HE LIVED THE HIGH LIFE BY CELEBRATING HIS 65TH BIRTHDAY REPEATEDLY. SPENDING TIME ON THE RIVER, VISITING OLD HAUNTS.,HAVING GREAT MEALS AND WAS ON GOOD FORM AS USUAL. ONCE AGAIN THE STAR ATTRACTION AT THE ORCHARD HOUSE BBQ ONLY FIVE DAYS BEFORE HE DIED. HE SANG AGAIN AND SANG AS HE DID WHEN HE WAS YOUNG. WHEN HE DID THE DISCO HE WAS KING OF THE ROAD.

THE LAST FEW HOURS OF HIS LIFE HE SPENT PLANNING WITH MICHELE WHAT THEY WOULD BE DOING TOGETHER DURING THEIR HOLIDAY THE NEXT DAY AND IN A SECOND HE WAS GONE. THE LAST WORD BEING \'SHELL\' THE PET NAME HE USED FOR MICHELE.

IN A CROWD HE WAS STARBOY AND OUTRAGEOUS BUT IN PRIVATE SINCERE, LOVING, KIND AND GENTLE. HE WAS A LARGER THAN LIFE CHARACTER, A LOVEABLE REBEL. HE WAS EACH END OF EVERY ADJECTIVE, KIND BUT NAUGHTY, PASSIONATE AND BLASÉ ,COMICAL AND SERIOUS, STRONG AND SENSITIVE, CYNICAL AND PRACTICAL. NO HIDDEN AGENDAS.

EVERYONE WHO HAD CONTACT WITH DAVID EVEN IF IT WAS FOR A SHORT TIME HAS SOMETHING TO REMEMBER HIM BY. HE CERTAINLY WAS A STAR IN SO MANY WAYS. MICHELE WILL FIND IT DIFFICULT TO CONTINUE WITHOUT HER SOUL MATE, HER REASON FOR LIVING BUT DOES FEEL THAT HE WILL LIVE WITH US ALL FOR AS LONG AS HE IS REMEMBERED.