I Have a story to share with you about the life and times of Alan Gregory
Who was born on 20th of February 1955 in Hulme.
His parents were Fred and Frances and he was one of eight children his siblings being Fred,Christine, June,Renee,Jackie,Kenny and Brian Sadly Christine is no longer with us having passed away when she was just 13,In the early 1960s,The Family moved from Hulme to Wythenshawe,life was busy for the Gregory family,as it was very much a full house,Alan was described,affectionately as being a little bleeder!
There were the usual fisticuffs that brothers and sisters get into as they get older,and these were years of fun and laughter.
As a youngster,Alan was in the scouts and football mad from an early age-a staunch united supporter.
He was good at the game himself,And won medals for his action on the pitch,His mates nicknamed him Albie,And it was around this time that he met Mo the lady who went on to become his wife.This was at the Angel in knutsford where the classic hits of soul and motown were playing,The pair got chatting,had a dance and the rest,as they say,is history,They married on the 23rd of february 1975 at jacksons row,Manchester and set up home as newlywed in chorlton. Alan was working as an apprentice plumber and the couple had two children David and simon before moving to Newall green where christopher completed the family unit.
By this point,Alan was working as a plumber for Manchester City Council,work that he thoroughly enjoyed and took him all over,You couldnt go out with alan without him saying look! Ive done them gutters!! on that house! at one place or another!
Alan had a wickid sense of humour.
This might not come out that often,but when it did,you knew about it!
He remained football crazy,And loved to watch United play at old trafford,As well as following their progress on the television,Mo recalls that when they were first courting, They even incorporated football into their dates,Going to watch the team play as they stood in the stretford end.More recently,Alan liked to watch FC United of which he was a co owner with kenny.
Mo and Alan were the best of friends,and would have done anything for one another,They went through some tough times together,as Alan encountered problems with his health,This included Kidney transplants being diabetic and undergoing many operations as a result.
Alan was only the second person in england to have a pancreas and Kidney transplant-he was willing to take the risk thanks to the new technology they were able to use.
Alan was always a fan of technology and if there was ever a new gadget,he would be there!
Dialysis was part of his life for a long time,and the family had the garage converted into a hospital room to better suite his needs, As he would not go in to hospital for that period of time but would rather be at home with his family
In all of this,no matter how tough things got,Alan got throught it and was incredibly strong,as tuff as old boots me, as he would put it!
Whatever was thrown his way,Alan just got on with it bravely and resolutely it was just his way i suppose,
As a dad,Alan was firm but fair he was a best friend to his Lads,as well as being thier dad.
taking them to football and sharing his wisdom and exsperiance with them when it was needed.
Alan worked hard at not letting his illness completely define him,And made sure he had other hobbies too,such as playing the guitar which he taught himself.
He loved blues music,especially Robert johnson,And would learn to play his songs.
Alan was a very clever man,with a real thirst for knowledge.
He just loved learning new things and was also good with his hands,being able to build tables and put things together no problem.
Alan could often be found tinkering with things-from DIY to gadgets which always interested him.
He was also up on his conspiracy theories involving aliens,and had a very active mind and imagination.Alan wasnt a big drinker by any means,but if he did indulge it would be in a southern comfort and dry ginger.
Having had a transplant though,Alan felt that it would be dishonouring to the donor to drink often,so he worked hard to preserve the health of his new organs.
Alan was the sort of man that would do anything for you and go out of his way to help.
One example of this was when he helped a lady take a dog back to the Dogs Trust because the owner was ill.Alan wasnt particularly keen on dogs,but he knew the dog and the lady needed help,so he put himself in a position to do so.
On the television,Alan liked watching Emmerdale and of course Match of the day.
his favourite player of all time and one he would always refer to as the greatest player was duncan edwards who sadly died after the munich air disater but he always stated that if duncan edwards would of survived he would of been better than pele and maradona!
Alans character was fiercely loyal and protective and alan could be quite a private man,who kept his cards close to his chest and never wanted a fuss.
If he was ever in trouble his independent streak came to the fore;Alan hated asking for help and being seen as a burden;not that he ever was of course,Instead he would tackle a problem himself and get through it.
As a brother he was a great support to the other siblings who loved the fact he was just up the road and could always pop in for a brew and a chat.
The family are going to missd him and what a loving,kind and loyal man he was.
He had his stubborn side,and sometimes was convinced that he and he alone knew best-it was his way or no way!
He was definitely a friend as well as a dad and had such a special connection with his sons.
He was more than a father figure-they would go to him with all kinds of problems,knowing that he would be able to shed some light,or just be a supportive ear.The siblings joke that Alan had the biggest brain out of all of them,and how he was always hankering after something to master and learn.
I must also mention Alans love of darts and driving,apart from having a Vauxhall Viva when he was young Alan always swore by having Volkswagen cars,nothing else.
The family would like to thank Macmillan and the District nurses as well as alans two carers,Alan and aron.He got on particular well with these two who always managed to perk alan up when he was down.He will be deeply missed,fondly remembered and certainly never forgotten.
Sadly Alan passed away on friday the 3rd of February 2017,aged 61 years.

Love you alwaysxxxx