Memoirs of an old geeser

Bob Lopton’s earliest memory is travelling into Preston on a tram in 1935, aged 3, and seeing the town’s first traffic jam.
Preston was luckier then most towns during war. The only difficulty that faced Bob whilst growing up was living with his five siblings. There was only his mother to support them, as his Father had died years earlier.
Bob would spend a lot of his time playing football with his mates, “bending it like Beckham before Beckham was even born”.
Bob’s family never had much money, but he still grew up and made a living for himself as a Printing Press manufacturer, a career that lasted him his entire working life. He also found himself a wife, and had a son and a daughter. The boy has gone into the same profession as he did.
Even though Bob retired 12 years ago, his later life has been dotted with tragedy. His eldest Brother died in a car crash in 1992, and his wife died in 2003. Sadly, his wife’s Brother also died that exact same day, after a major operation. Regardless, Bob persevered and has been enjoying his retirement since.
When asked what he liked to do with his time, “as little as possible”, was the reply. This includes taking walks along the sea front with friends, and visiting places like Bournemouth.
As a piece of advice before he left, Bob warned me against the dangers of smoking – mainly because it costs so much, but also you might, well, die. His wife had smoked, he hadn’t.

By Joe Robinson