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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Jacob Farr

Devastated Edinburgh wife pays heartfelt tribute to 'gentle giant' husband

A loving West Lothian wife has paid tribute to her husband who sadly lost his life to stage five kidney failure at the age of 72.

Robin Cole, from Livingston but originally from Cornwall, was a caring soul and worked for the past 30 years as a mental health nurse until he had a stroke last year and had to retire at the age of 71.

His wife Tracey, 49, originally from Edinburgh, has said that he would also give his time to care for vulnerable people in the community and that he was much loved by all those whose lives he touched.

READ MORE: Dad of tragic Edinburgh boy renews son's Hearts ticket as he can't bear to sit with stranger

Robin was an avid motorbike lover and it is understood that his funeral will be escorted by a cortege of fellow bikers as he makes his final journey to the West Lothian crematorium on May 22.

“Robin worked the last 30 years in care as a mental health nurse and also with care in the community; he sadly passed away on May 6 due to stage five kidney failure.

“He was such a great man and I’m lost without him.

“It was so quick at the end we had been given a few years at the beginning of the year but deteriorated so quickly but he was able to die at home where he wanted to be.

“He’s not kept in great health for a while now but despite this he worked till he was 71.

“He had a stroke in December and never quite seemed to recover from this.

“Robin is a gentle giant who’s loved by so many people, his care role made him very well loved as he helped and supported so many families over the years - he was so kind that a lot of them became friends.

“He was a very hard worker and was never off work, at one point he had two jobs on the go, we are honestly all so lost without him.

“He loved to draw and loved his holidays abroad with Turkey being his favourite destination.

“He was welcomed into the family with open arms and was very close with my kids, Allan, 24 and Kimmy, 21.

“He also really got on with my brother Dave and my sister in law Karen; Robin and Karen had a special bond and when Robin was being stubborn the only person I could use was Karen as she always made him see reason.

“We have been together for nearly 10 years and have been married for the last five.

“Robin loved bikes and used to own one years ago so I put out a plea for fellow bikers to pay tribute by accompanying him on his final journey, the response was absolutely amazing.

“He’s left a huge hole in our hearts. He was such a kind caring man. Life will never be the same again.”

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