A TAXI driver who asked his partner to marry him from his hospital bed was given a fitting send off by colleagues.
A cortege of taxis from Colchester’s Five Sevens firm, decorated with black ribbons, assembled to remember Roy Farley close to his home in Straight Road, Colchester, yesterday.
Mr Farley died in Colchester General Hospital three days after he was told the cancer he was suffering from was incurable. He was 54.
Clive Woolgar, owner of Five Sevens, said: “He has been with his partner Pat Lilley for 11 years and they never married.
“He asked her to marry him in hospital and it was too late. He idolised her.”
Mr Woolgar said Roy, who had lived in Colchester all his life, also leaves behind two grown up children, Lee and Tara, from his first marriage.
He added: “He was such a nice bloke. He was one of those who when he walked into the control room, the banter started.
“I even asked the funeral directors to deliberately be five minutes late yesterday, because he was always five minutes late. He had an answer for everything.”
Mr Woolgar said Roy’s health started to deteriorate 18 months ago when he went into hospital to have a stomach ulcer removed.
A year later he was given the tragic news he had developed cancer and was given weeks to live.
Just three days later he died.
Mr Woolgar added: “Roy has worked for the company for ten years now and he was well-liked by the drivers. We had a collection and raised over £2,000 for him.
“Myself, one of my sons, my brother and one of my business partners worked A Day for Roy.
“We had a day off to go on the road and what we earned we put into a fund for Roy.”
Together with donations from other drivers, the money raised was put towards Roy’s funeral costs.
The funeral procession included a vintage Rolls Royce used as the hearse, Roy’s own Ford Poplar and his taxi which had an image of him and Pat, 52, put on to the bonnet for the day.
As a mark of respect, his unique Roy 20 taxi number will also be retired from service.
The funeral took place at Colchester Crematorium yesterday afternoon.
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