Tributes have been paid for a father-of-two who died while snorkelling on a family holiday in the Caribbean. The beloved dad, Andrew Evans, passed away less than one month before his 61st birthday.
The grandfather was on board a P&O Britannia cruise ship in St Kitts when what should have been a fun-filled trip at Peninsular Cove, on the South East Peninsular of the island to go snorkelling turned tragic, reports Wales Online.
Andrew was brought out of the water as tourists tried to revive the father but he was pronounced dead by the District Medical Officer who found he had died of a cardiac arrest.
Mr Evans, who was a local theatre actor back home in Llanelli in Dyfed, Wales, was a well-known face in the community for working long-term for Dyfed County Council before embracing his love of the dramatic arts and performance.
He was heavily involved in local theatre groups which he enjoyed for decades, including the Academy Theatre Group and Llanelli Little Theatre. It was a friend and colleague, Ann Benjamin, who introduced the man to the world of theatre and she paid a fitting tribute to Mr Evans.
She said: "We first met when we were working at Dyfed County Council, I was performing in Annie, and we needed backstage crew so I managed to persuade him to join us. He decided afterwards that he'd quite like to do stuff on stage as well as doing stuff backstage, so that's how he started doing both, that was his introduction.
"He was the sort of person where, if you asked him to do something, he would do it. He was one of the stalwarts of The Academy, he was there, he would help out, and be involved in doing everything - running around organising this, organising that. He played many parts in the shows - he liked playing the panto animal, he liked the interaction with everyone, that's what he liked - he had a lot of fun. He gave most things a go.
"You couldn't ask for a better friend, he was there if you needed him, you didn't have to ask twice. That was at work, at home, in the theatre, anything to do in your life. Sometimes he would say yes to doing things, and you'd think, 'Andrew, you haven't got time to do this', but he would always find time, and that was the amazing thing about him. He was well loved by so many people. He was a gentleman, and so thoughtful to everyone around him. He would always be thinking, how can I help someone if they're in trouble, and that was just his nature. It just came from him, it wasn't something he had to work at.
"He was somebody who was known by a lot of people because he was always willing to help. He was taken way too early. He had so much more to give in as much as he just loved giving. He was also quite an organised man in many respects, if you wanted something, he knew where to go and what to do."
Close friend David Hurford, spoke of his 40-year friendship with Andrew saying: "We struck up an immediate friendship, talking about computers and sharing a common interest in technology. Our friendship flourished and we became more social friends. He was much loved by so many different people. He was a wonderful family man and a doting granddad, and he loved being a granddad. He was always telling me and other people what it was like and all kinds of little stories.
"Andrew was very skilled and interested in many, many things, he could turn his hand to so many things. You would never ever be lost for a conversation with Andrew...Everybody knew him, he was a friendly, reliable and honest caring person. He was generous with his time and wouldn't look at his watch..He was passionate about doing something and passionate about doing something well."
"It's difficult for me to accept he has passed away. It didn't strike home until about two or three days later, it still feels unbelievable. He was so full of life and so active and so enthused about everything he was involved in, he would never shy away from anything."
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