Eric Gerard 'Ged' Grundy

April 17th 1963- October 7th 2000

For all of my adult life I can say that one of the closest people to me has been Eric 'Ged' Grundy. I first met Ged in Angels, a nightclub in the centre of Wigan my hometown. I can still remember to this day how I crossed over the room to the two young men who where sat down drinking, motorcycle helmets on the floor at their feet and engaged them in conversation. Ged was wearing a cut off denim jacket over his bike leather and on the jacket was a small circular badge of the comic book character Torquemada from the British comic 2000ad. I commented on this badge as I too was a comic book fan and sat down and began to talk to this young man.

That was that. From that moment on we became friends. We shared many passions in life, love of film and comedy, a love of science fiction and rock music and also a deep-seated love of games and gaming. Over the next few months Ged became a regular visitor to my home, travelling on his motorbike from his home near the town of St Helens. We began to game together and soon formed a small motley band of gamers that would change over the years somewhat but always have a base core of myself or Ged or another good and dear friend Michael.

Every month or so we would travel up and down the country going to the many wargames shows, hovering over and around the bring and buy stalls to sell items we had cast up or bought and didn’t need any longer as a way to supplement our hobby. I even remember one time ripping the lead from under the window ledges of my flat to cast up miniatures in moulds we had bought, something that Ged would do for many years.

Of course like all good friendships it wasn’t without it's ups and downs and there are times when we had not spoken or had fallen out, with the longest of these lasting around 6 months or so, but we made up and carried on like true friends as if nothing had happened at all.

I fast found myself becoming like a brother to Ged and he to me, and always kidded with him about being an old man, even though his birthday was only seven days before my own.

I can say that I was there for him and he for me whenever either of us needed help and I could turn to him in a crisis and he would help out without question or vice versa. And we shared both good times and bad in equal measure, helping each other out when we where low or down as friends do and just being there to listen to the other drone on about whatever was the problem at that moment in time.

Ged had a great passion for motorbikes and had many from a Norton to a Virago and they where always the clarion sound of his approach to my home. My son Daniel would run down to meet him whenever he heard the powerful roar of his motorcycle approach and as he would always do Ged would greet Daniel as if he was his own.

Today however the laughter and joy stopped as my very close and dear friend Shaun informed me that Ged had died. Life had become to much for him! I spent today consoling friends and being consoled myself and trying hard to come to terms with the loss of a man who was closer to me than my own brother. A tragic loss and something that I hope never to repeat again with anyone friend or foe alike. Ged was a father, friend, comedian, uncle, historian, artist, idiot, wiseman and brother! All this and much more than I can ever hope to convey in mere words. Please forgive this indulgence but I needed to get this down and somewhere that it may do some good.

To. Joyce, Alice, Shaun, Mike, Eddie, Stuart, Kev,Stan the Man, Iain, Ian, Kath, Dave, Carl, Tracy, Pam, Julie, John, Gareth, Laura, Katrina, Jessica, Daniel, Katriana and Sara. To all his friends and family and to those who knew him. Eric Gerard Grundy, You will be missed more than you can ever know. Rest easy my good friend and may god watch over you always.

A Drink to the Duke

Your friend

Marc

7th October 2000