A Message From Karen

With great sadness, I am so sorry to tell you that my husband, Curly, died suddenly last week. It’s such a huge shock and I really can’t quite believe he’s gone. Curly was so well known whether as a member of metal bands; folk bands; dominoes at the Trust; gravedigger for the Council; volunteer; ‘sherpa’ for our walking group; part of the Munchkin and pathfinding crew; or just the bloke in the pub. He was an absolute force, and you would never forget having met him. I certainly remember our first meeting in 1992 at The Keg Bar on Peebles High Street. If Marc Bolan and Tom Araya had a son, Curly would have been the result 😊 (some of you might need to Google those names). He had the most amazing hair and was so handsome. My friend, Coriena, said ‘that boy with one eyebrow keeps looking at you’ and I didn’t make it easy for him to get to know me, but I admit, I think I was smitten from that very first look. I had met my soulmate. The things we liked, we both really liked. Metal music and silliness at the top of the list. I won’t rose tint it, there were hard times and we fell out but never for long. We needed and loved each other.

Curly would speak to everyone and anyone and made friends so easily. It was so natural to him and something truly remarkable. We have the most, and I mean the most, amazing, caring and supportive group of friends which ever existed. Curly would continually add to our merry band of friends, and we would have regular gatherings and garden ‘dos’. We have laughed until we were sore!! It would take me weeks to recount all of the stories but even in the darkness of his death, we have found some light re-telling some of the highlights.

I have received some beautiful cards and words of support. One card in particular seemed to capture him perfectly. They wrote “We’ll always remember how Curly welcomed us into your circle of friends and made us feel at home in Peebles. He had an amazing ability to bring together a group of people from all walks of life. Curly introduced us to many beautiful Borders views too and we enjoyed his quiet appreciation of them. We loved how proud he was of his wonderful wife and it was his encouragement that helped us to tie the knot too. We were honoured to have Curly as a witness to our ceremony. We will remember his highly individual dress code, his infectious laugh, and his huge enjoyment of silliness, especially the snow caterpillar and armoured eggs. He was a wonderful person and we won’t ever forget him”

Curly liked a pint and a nip; comic books and graphic novels; sci-fi movies and horror films; board games of any kind; Backgammon; Scrabble; Munchkin; Judas Priest; Slayer; Rush; Elvis; Escape rooms; Treasure Trails; early Star Wars (was not happy with the Disneyfication!); New Year’s day walks; the sunrise walks; Easter egg rolling; hills; skulls; t-shirts; his family; his friends; his job; and he loved Peebles. This was his home.

Curly was a creature of habit and he liked order and routine. His Saturdays would involve the Northgate Triangle which was a visit to the comic book shop for a chat with Clare to either pick up his next order or leave a list of demands! Next was Milne & Pickles for a chat with Julie and Lorna followed by coffee and some cheesecake. Lastly was Sainsburys for the weekly shop. He said to me that if they moved The Neidpath Inn to the Northgate, he’d never had to go anywhere else 😊

I know some of you reading this won’t know who he is but for those who do, you’ll know that he absolutely relished a good rant!! He didn’t have a ‘Crabbit’ t-shirt for nothing. Even wrote a song about it!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDpawKFeymI

I am not the only one feeling the pain, but we only feel that way because we loved him so much. The cards and condolences keep coming, and I am so grateful to everyone. There is real sadness and a desire to do something to help and I really can understand, and I’ve been giving it some thought. The light bulb moment came after a conversation with Shug Harkness (if you live in Peebles and don’t know Shug, then I fear that you must be living under a rock!). He mentioned that the Eastgate Theatre is struggling for funding. I then remembered the last night that Curly and I had gone out with friends was to the Eastgate comedy night on the 7th February. It was an absolute hoot, best one yet. Curly even managed to inadvertently heckle Stuart Mitchell by opening a can of beer!! We both think that the theatre is so important in the town. We go to as many events as we can, and Curly and Shug have also performed there. For anyone privileged enough to see Curly and Shug perform their set, you witnessed one of the best things ever created. Two very talented men.

If you want to do something in Curly’s memory, read what’s happening to the theatre, donate on his behalf if you can, and support it.

This photo is one of my favourite photos of Curly. This was taken on our wedding day, and it’s just so natural. It’s very ‘Reservoir Dogs’! The stories these three chaps could tell………….

I miss him and I’m heartbroken, but I am also so proud of him and blessed that he was part of my life. You’re also all wondering “What’s his real name?” 😊

With much love, Karen