A WELL-RESPECTED builder travelled to his funeral in his ‘happy place’ – a digger – on Tuesday as residents gathered to pay their respects.
Ian Jackson, 59, died on February 25 after he was diagnosed with multiple system atrophy (MSA) – a rare condition of the nervous system that causes gradual damage to nerve cells in the brain.
The Kingstone man had built up an ‘empire’ in his industry and he arrived at Barnsley Crematorium on Tuesday with his coffin placed inside a digger.
His daughter, 33-year-old Emma Hampton, said: “He absolutely loved his job.
“There was nothing he couldn’t do and he wanted to perfect everything – that extended to work, family and friends.
“He liked to do charity work.
“He climbed Kilimanjaro and him and my mum, Geraldine, did Machu Picchu.
“He was lovely and he really cared for us – he wanted to make sure we had the best life possible.
“He built a building empire and whenever he was at work he loved to be in his digger – that was his happy place.”
Ian leaves behind his wife, Geraldine, two sons Shaun and Adam, daughter Emma and five grandchildren.
