Hillsborough stories: David George Rimmer

A sales manager from Skelmersdale, Dave Rimmer travelled by car to Sheffield with Mr Geoffrey Bridson, a friend, who survived.

This is the full statement to the inquests from his wife, Linda Kirby:

David George Rimmer was born on 15 September, 1950 in Ormskirk. We were married on 28 September, 1974 and we had two beautiful children, Paul, who was born in 1979, and Kate, born in 1982.

I remember meeting him at a party. I was wearing a burgundy-coloured velvet dress with a pink rose that I had saved 12 guineas to buy. Dave was on a date with a friend of mine, who had asked him to be her date.

After the party, they decided not to see each other again, but Dave continually pestered her for my number.

He didn't know my name so he called me 'Rose' because of the rose that was pinned to my dress at the party.

After some persuasion, I gave my friend permission to give him my number. He called and we arranged to meet up and it was love at first sight. I know they say it doesn't happen; but it did.

'Son she never had'

I remember my mum waited up for me to come home that night and she asked me all the usual questions like who his parents were and what he did and whether we would meet again.

Her main comment the first time she met him was that he was a bit on the skinny side and she would have to fatten him up, and she kept her promise.

I remember going to his parents' house the first time for dinner and his Dad carved the beef roast and put it on my plate and I silently thought, 'Is that it? That must be why he is so skinny'.

When he came to my house, my mum would serve him such big portions, he almost needed sides on his plate.

He was the son she never had. She even used to take his side over mine in disagreements.

He was totally integrated into my family from early on, to the extent that when he walked the 20-minute distance from the bus stop to my house, my mum, being aware of his sweaty foot problem, would ask for his socks and have them washed and dried in time for when he was leaving.

Practical joker

Dave had a good, if not stupid, sense of humour. I remember we had some neighbours who we got on very well with until the wife took great umbrage at the fact that she wasn't our only friend on the street and stopped speaking to us.

There was a 'For Sale' sign down the road and on New Year's Eve someone moved the 'For Sale' sign into the neighbour's garden. It was Dave. It made us laugh because he was just a practical joker at times.

He loved 'Dad's Army' and 'Hello, Hello' and knew how to laugh at himself.

Dave was good at decorating and painting but if he was given DIY, especially anything involving a piece of wood, he was awful. For example, we had a rabbit hutch that was really short because he kept trying to even out the legs.

He used to say he made a coffee table for his Mum and Dad when he was at school and it looked like a footstool by the time he'd finished. He knew he was bad at it, but he tried anyway.

I took the kids on many walks to get away from his attempts at DIY. I guess no-one is good at everything.

Dave loved his children. He used to read bed-time stories to them, especially Kate. He would make up stories and tell them.

'Made-up memories'

When he died, Kate was seven. She asked me to tell her the stories her Daddy used to tell her, but I didn't know them.

He was involved with Cub Scouts and used to take Paul to activities. If he hadn't have gone to Hillsborough on 15 April, 1989, he would have been with Paul at Cubs football.

He was on the executive committee for the Cubs and used to help organise football activities for them.

About 12 months after he died, I thought to myself, I had to do something for myself and decided to volunteer as a helper at Cub Scouts. 23 years later, I am a Cub leader and I am still involved in organising Cub activities. I am also a member of our local church.

The children don't really have any memories of him now. It is as though their brain has blocked the memories, because recalling them would be too traumatic.

Kate makes up stories sometimes. I never used to say they were just stories, as the made-up memories were real to her.

Paul was nine when his dad died. I recall his dad taking him to a football match where Liverpool played Arsenal. Paul remembers where they sat and says the day was amazing.

'Chippy on Saturdays'

As a family, we used to go on holiday. We couldn't afford to go abroad, but we had a relative who had a holiday chalet in Wales and we had some great times there.

We also used to go for walks together. As a family, we would go to the chippy on Saturdays.

Dave was always concerned about working hard and taking care of his family. Dave left school at 16 and went to work for a company known as Hattersley Newman Hender.

He worked for several other companies after that and eventually was head-hunted by Oliver Ashworth to be a sales manager. He was great at his job and he was endearing to people he came into contact with.

I remember his boss came to see me shortly after Dave's death. He was saying that Dave was on the director track. Everything seemed to be happening for us at last.

Dave loved football and he was really passionate about Liverpool. It was his thing, though, so I didn't really go with him. He used to go to games with his best friend Jeff.

Jeff was with him at Hillsborough. He just about survived it, but he will never be the same because he feels guilty for surviving. Paul still goes to the games with Jeff.

'Taken away'

The year before David died, we went to Spain for our first holiday abroad. I got a part-time job and we put that money to one side to pay for the holiday.

As a couple, we were so excited. And it was our first trip abroad together. It was such a happy time. I recall, after the children had gone to sleep, we sat on the balcony looking at the pool and thinking we were the luckiest people ever.

We used to get chicken, chips and Spanish champagne and relax to the sound of crickets.

We were so happy. We told ourselves we'd finally made it and, just like that, everything was gone, everything was taken away from us.

When Liverpool won the European Cup in Istanbul, Paul cried at the end of the game. It should have been one of the happiest days, but he kept thinking that his dad should have been there with him.

Kate is married now and her dad never got to walk her down the aisle. When I think of all the milestones he's missed, I can't help but say it's not fair.

Dave was a lovely family man who adored his children and his wife. He was my first love and we all feel his absence.

When I received the panel's report, I felt as though Dave's soul was on the way to being at peace at long last. When this inquest is all over, hopefully the truth will be revealed and he will be fully at peace.