Yesterday, my dad – Tom James, aka Donny Red, lost a brave 7 year fight with Cancer and died peacefully with his family by his side. Although the illness had ultimately robbed him of his speech, he wrote to me to tell me about the freedom this forum gave him in giving him his voice back and he wanted to thank you all for giving him a platform to talk. Upon moving to Wakefield, from Doncaster in 1987, he took an 11 year old me to watch all the local teams to see which one captured our hearts. After watching Barnsley beat Bournemouth, 5-2, David Currie became our hero, Oakwell became our second home and so started a 35 year love affair. Although his health failed him a couple of years ago, he still watched the reds on iFollow and it became a ritual for me and my son to call in on him on the way home, to give him a programme and talk about the game. I think you all were very special to him and gave him the feeling of still being involved on a Match day – for which I cannot thank you enough. Best Wishes to you all - Andy James.
Sorry to hear of your loss and sincere condolences to all of you. What a legacy to leave though, the bug of going to Oakwell
So sorry for your loss, Andy. But a beautifully worded announcement, none the less. Your Dad was a top, top contributor to this board and shall be sorely missed by all, I am sure. Take care of your family, and yourself, at this tough time.
Thanks for posting Andy and very best wishes to your family. That 5-2 match was one of my very first too and probably my first vivid memory of the reds. Currie was my hero likewise! RIP Donny Red
Sorry to hear this news , commiserations to all his family and friends . He will be sadly missed on here always had kind words and interesting stories . RIP Donny x
So sorry to hear this sad news. Thanks for the lovely post and all the best to you and your family buddy.
Thank you for a beautifully worded post Andy. Whilst there are disagreements and sometimes fall-outs in this community, it is nevertheless a strong community and your Dad was a key part of it. Love and best wishes to you and your family and RIP Donny Red.
I'm so very sorry to hear this, your Dad as others have said, was a valued contributor to this forum. After the horrors of the past 18 months I'm glad for his and your sakes that his end was peaceful surrounded by his family.
It's daft isn't it. We argue, bicker and generally talk sh*te on this forum - without ever realising what good it can do for people. So sorry to hear your news mate but, although it may seem a poor choice of words I'm quite uplifted to think that we all provided your Dad with some escapism in what must have been an awful period of time for him. Once a red.
