David Singleton

Norman's Eulogy

Kirsten and David's marriage has been the centre of the family and I have not seen a stronger marriage.

The centre of the family was not Kirsten with David: it was Kirsten and David, the two together. It was the strength of their bond that has made it possible for the rest of the family to find its way and its solidarity. The same strength has allowed it to accept and unite so easily with both those that have married into it and others who have just become part of it.

Whenever things have gone wrong, whether something serious or just an every day screw-up, David would be the first one to help. He was not only willing to help but able to help. He always had the wherewithal to do something to improve the situation. He was famously disorganised but totally reliable.

Very importantly, it has given us all great comfort to know that whatever happens we have been sure that there would always be a guaranteed place to run to at David and Kirsten's.

Whether it was daughters in distress or Sunday dinner for ten, David would never let you down. He was a family man.

He was also a Renaissance man. He knew something of everything and everything about some things. It seemed that he had read every book ever written and he certainly owned at least half of them. He also wrote one himself.

Perhaps it was because he was so well read that he did not believe in grammar and that has been a great comfort while preparing this.

He was never one to let you get away with a comment or an opinion that might not stand a test. Never to compete with you, he was not interested in that, but to find out what you thought and why you thought it. He could argue from any point of view, very often playing the devil's advocate and he did that superbly. It was not always comfortable, particularly if you were talking about something that you thought you were certain of. He had a way of making it impossible to ignore or side step the point he was making. It had to be addressed. He always made you think about what you were saying. I am going to miss that.

He believed in the freedom of the individual. It was very often the core of his argument and it was something he would always defend. It was also the reason he worked for Amnesty International.

He was not a master of tact but he never gave away a secret; that is because nobody ever told him a secret because they knew he would give it away. He would just forget that it was supposed to be kept quiet.

We have been lucky twice.

Firstly, we are lucky that Kirsten and David chose each other.

Secondly, we are lucky that we had his company for the last eight years. Surviving his illness in 1993 was a very close run thing.

David always saw the best in everyone.

He was never defensive about himself. He was outgoing and generous in every way.

He followed what interested him and he was interested in everything and everyone, and that is why he was always interesting to everyone else. Everybody liked him.

He took care of his friends and his family.

That is the way to live.

He is an example to us all.