'Tony was a fine and generous man. We are very proud to have had him as our son'

Sadly our son passed away on 30 June after a long battle with cancer, which he fought with great courage and dignity after receiving the very best treatment possible. How we longed for a miracle cure to become available; it was not to be.

Tony, widely known as “Birdy”, had a delightful personality and a kind generous nature. He seemed to have a quiet, calm charisma which touched the hearts of all he met.

A notice was posted on Facebook inviting his friends and family to a tribute evening at the Camphill Club in West Byfleet on Friday, 10 July. Friends came from far and wide and the club was jam packed.

It did us good to see so many faces from the past and to see the affection for our son.

Our children knew that their friends would always be welcome in our house and it was not uncommon to come down on a Sunday morning to find an assortment of bodies sprawled on the living room floor. They always went home after a cooked breakfast, which they seemed to appreciate.

Tony finished his schooling at Salesian in Chertsey with average academic grades but excelled on the football field. The school arranged a football tour to Canada, which he enjoyed greatly, and this was followed by a club tour to Holland.

He continued to play for some local clubs but got most enjoyment when playing for Camphill Casuals in a Sunday league.

He was also a very good cricketer and captained West Byfleet under 17’s in the Carmen Heating League, going on to play an important part in the senior team with a number of outstanding performances with bat and ball.

Tony left school without a bundle of qualifications and was uncertain as to what to do until Pat brought home a computer from work. This opened a new world for him.

We were amazed how quickly he seemed to grasp every aspect of this device and it was not long before he was working for an IT company in Chertsey. When the company relocated he applied to Woking Borough Council, where he worked happily for some 30 years.

It is clear they treated him very well during his illness and we thank them for this.

In 2004 Tony married Pauline in the Dominican Republic, where family and guests had a fantastic time with a hurricane thrown in at no extra cost!

Sadly Tony leaves Pauline, step children Kelly, Nicole and Joe, and step grandchildren Jacob, Lewis, Daisy and Kai, all of whom helped to make his final months as comfortable and enjoyable as possible in very difficult circumstances.

It is not our intention to portray Tony as some sort of saint, which he was not, but merely as a very fine, kind and generous man who was much loved and admired.

We are very proud to have had Tony as our son and grateful to our daughter Lisa for helping us through this difficult time although grieving herself.

Anthony William Marsh Bird

1968-2026