Tributes after death of Clarets fan (48)

Ian Greenwood (48), of East Hill Street, was diagnosed with terminal liver and bowel cancer in July. He died at home surrounded by his family after taking a turn for the worse.

His wife Susan said: “We knew he could not be cured but hoped chemotherapy would give him some extra time. After a few sessions he became ill, in and out of hospital, and couldn’t restart the treatment so we carried on as normal for as long as we had together enjoying spending time as a family.”

Born in Keighley as one of eight children, Mr Greenwood grew up and stayed in Barnoldswick, a town his family said he loved. He was a pupil at Rainhall Road School and then Barnoldswick Secondary Modern School.

Mr Greenwood had numerous jobs including at Rolls-Royce and Silentnight, but had spent the last nine years working at Rainbow Safety Surfacing, working on children’s playgrounds and nurseries around the county until illness forced him to stop in August.

Mrs Greenwood, who is originally from Sunderland, said she felt it was fate they would share their lives and he was her soulmate.

She said: “I first lived in Barnoldswick in 1968 and Ian lived five doors down from me. I came back again when I was 17 and we started going out but we were only young so it didn’t last and I went back to Sunderland.

“But from then on I couldn’t stop thinking about him and it was inevitable we would end up together and get married. He was my whole life and my rock.”

The couple married in 1991 and had their son Kieran as well as Mrs Greenwood’s son Liam, known as Herb, from a previous relationship.

After Susan, Mr Greenwood’s great love was Burnley FC and he was a massive Clarets fan and season ticket holder along with Kieran.

He was devastated when he had to stop going to games in the summer as chemotherapy left him vulnerable to picking up infections in public places.

Mr Greenwood’s family said his proudest footballing moment was to have been at Wembley to watch his beloved team achieve promotion in 2009.

Kieran paid tribute to his dad on a Clarets website saying: “I have lost my father but Burnley has lost a passionate fan.

“I’ll always remember my dad saying to me ‘Kieran I will never see my Burnley in the Premiership’. I’m so glad he got to see that and he attended every game.

“My dad made me promise to look after my mum. It’s just me and her at home now. I will be there for her and we will get through this awful time”

Mr Greenwood’s manager at Rainbow Safety Surfacing, Cliff Camfield, said: “He was what you would call a good old fashioned mate. We’d known each other since we were kids and worked together for about five years before he came to work for me.

“He was the type of man who after a hard working week would give up his weekend to help you out with anything.

“He was hard working, dependable and faultless really. But he was a friend first and foremost and will be sadly missed and fondly remembered by my family.”

The funeral will take place on Tuesday with a service at Skipton Crematorium at 1-40 p.m. Friends and family are then invited back to Rolls-Royce Leisure to celebrate Mr Greenwood’s life.