John Deakin, who died aged 85, moved to Cumbria in the late 90s after 'falling in love' with the Lake District. He had a long and successful career with British Nuclear Fuels and regularly worked at Sellafield which sparked his love for the region. READ MORE: Dad of four running length of England in 62 days for charity READ MORE: Barrow lovebirds have 'magical' wedding day with 82 guests READ MORE: Student going to Oxford got 4A*s despite having 'food poisioning' He retired with his wife Joan Deakin, now aged 78, in the village of Sedgwick.
He leaves behind two twin sons - Jonathan, a fitness trainer, and Martin, a HGV driver, both aged 54, along with his two granddaughters Ebony and Brook. Jonathan, who now lives in Manchester, said: "He was a big motorcycle enthusiast. He used to be called the James Dean of Warrington but gave up riding in his 50s.
"He did a good job of passing his interests on to me and my brother though and now we have bikes. In his later years, he really enjoyed seeing us with them. "We're such a tight knit family so he has been a massive loss.
" (Image: Jonathan) After reporting dizzy spells in the summer of 2023, Mr Deakin collapsed while in a shop in Kirkby Lonsdale in August. He fell on his face and the impact was so hard it severed his spinal cord leaving him paralysed. He fought hard for a year but in that time complications developed such as lung cancer and he died on August 6 2024.
His funeral was August 16. Jonathan said: "It destroyed him at fir.