A newlywed wife whose soulmate died just weeks after being diagnosed with lung cancer is calling on car lovers to help her pay homage to him at his funeral.
Dad-of-two Andrew Renfrew, 37, from Cumbernauld, married long-term partner Nicola last month at the Golden Jubilee Hospital.
The couple were together for 10 years and got engaged last year.
They tied the knot on April 17, but tragically Andrew passed away just two weeks later on May 5.
Nicola, 27, and daughters Dayna, 9, and Layla, 6, have been left devastated by the death of the “gentle giant”.
Nicola hopes that anyone who owns a Ford ST car can come along and help her pay tribute to Andrew at his funeral service in Coatbridge.
The Mondeo ST was the hardworking telecomms engineer’s favourite car, as his dad had one when he was younger.
“Andrew loved it so he used to steal it to take it for a drive, his dad would always come home from work to his car not in the driveway,” Nicola told the Daily Record.
Last year the couple were able to buy a Ford Focus ST Stealth.
“He loved it and he knew I did too, so was over the moon to be able to get it for me," Nicola continued.
“As much as he loved it he always wanted me to drive it and always said I suited the car and it made him happy seeing me sitting in the driver’s seat.”
Just weeks before he was hospitalised Andrew became a proud owner of his own ST and was determined to give it his own personal touch.
Nicola revealed: “He was proud as punch, this was only a few weeks before his hospital admission. I remember telling him just to wait as his health wasn’t the best but he was determined to get these mud flaps, on so he did.”
The first sign that Andrew was ill came when he started to feel breathless last Christmas. Eventually the pain in his chest was so severe that he was admitted to hospital and placed on a ventilator. He had CT scans at Monklands Hospital last month which revealed he had a mass between his lungs which was cancer.
Sadly there was nothing more that doctors could do apart from put a stent in his chest to allow him to say his final goodbyes to his wife and children.
Apart from his dream car Andrew’s aim was to earn enough to buy a family home with a garden for his daughters before Dayna turned 10.
“Andrew was the strongest person I have ever met,” said Nicola.
“The most doting daddy to our girls who worshipped the ground he walked on.
“He was known as a gentle giant by everyone, his friends and family.
“He was a special guy who touched the hearts of many.
“We will miss him dearly, my world will never be the same but he will always be in our hearts.”
Andrew’s funeral will take place at 11.45am on May 14, at MacGregor's funeral directors on Muiryhall Street, Coatbridge and then on to Daldowie Crematorium. It is a family-only affair but Nicola hopes ST drivers can come along and rev their engines outside as a fitting send-off.
She added: “I feel Andrew would be looking down at the fuss with all the cars lined up for him with the huge grin of his and his wee laugh he had."
