Partner pays tribute to 'compassionate' Lakes boss after helicopter tragedy
The partner of Mark Weir, who died last Tuesday when his helicopter crashed near to his Honister Slate Mine, has paid tribute to her 'soulmate'. Jan Wilkinson said that the 45-year-old was 'compassionate, loving and hardworking”.
She said: “Mark was generous, compassionate, loving, funny, adorable and energetic. He always had a glass half-full mentality. He had an effect on people, a positive effect. Even though he wouldn’t sometimes get home from work until 2.30am, he always wanted to get up and say goodbye to the kids before they went to school, or have a cuddle in bed with them.”
“He loved all life and all living things – teaching his children that even spiders had a place in life and deserved to live. He hated spiders but he would sit on the floor and take his shirt off and put one on his stomach under a glass to show his children they wouldn’t bite or do any harm, and allay their fears.”
The pair met when Mark was 19 and were together for 27 years and had three children together.
She added: “What a lot of people didn’t see was that he helped so many people from kids that were poorly to people that had problems with drugs, and friends and relatives that needed jobs doing.
He always wanted to do right by everybody and give them his time or help them if they were struggling. Even at work he wanted to make time for people and help them, but it always meant he had more to do at the end of his day."
“He phoned me that night and said: “I’m just ringing to say I love you” I said I love you too darling and I'll see you soon. That was him. The unexpectedness of the phone call was typical Mark.”
Ms Wilkinson alerted the emergency services on Tuesday, March 8, when Mr Weir failed to return home from work at the slate mine in his helicopter. Mr Weir's helicopter and body was found in an isolated area 200 metres from the slate mine.
Jan said: “The hardest thing I had to do was ring the Mountain Rescue Team yet every member of the team turned out to look for him and I’ll always be grateful to them for that. At the site, they were absolutely distraught.”
Mark’s mother Celia Taylor-Weir, said: “Mark couldn’t understand why his ideas had to be talked about for months and sometimes years.”
Jan added: “We never realised how many people admired, loved and were touched by Mark. The hundreds of cards, phonecalls, flowers and emails has amazed us. I would like to think Mark would have been embarrassed by it but I can’t because he would have loved it.”
The funeral service commemorating Mark Weir will take place at 1pm on Monday, March 21, 2011 at St. John’s Church, Keswick. People are encouraged to wear something “Orange,” to commemorate the bright colours of Honister, and Mark’s personality.
A wake will then take place at The Lodore Hotel, Borrowdale, from 2.15pm. After the Keswick service, a private burial service attended by family and Honister Slate Mine staff only, will take place at St Andrew’s Church in Borrowdale.
The family intends to host another event in the summer commemorating Mark’s life and will post details of this online at www.honister.com