Tragedy struck after John Fazackerley, who was from Cheshire, had flown to Paphos in Cyprus to watch his son Sean marry fiancée Vicky in a long-planned ceremony
A British dad drowned in a hotel pool while playing with his grandchildren – just hours before he was due to watch his son get married.
John Fazackerley, 60, failed to resurface during game in the water with the youngsters and, although guests and paramedics dashed to perform CPR, the retired builder died. John had flown to Paphos in Cyprus where his son Sean’s wedding to fiancée Vicky, which went ahead the next day and where guests paid their respects to John.
Sean, 30, and his family are now working to bring John’s body home and hold his funeral, which altogether will cost thousands of pounds. Paying tribute to his dad, Sean, who is an IT manager, said: “He was a very family-orientated man and his final moments were with his grandkids, playing. He loved fishing and spending time with the grandkids and we miss him. Now, we are just trying to support my mum and she’s moved in with us for a bit.”
The GoFundMe page for donations to bring John’s body to the UK has raised more than £5,000 so far. There has, though, been some confusion over the postmortem in Cyprus, the family says.
The poignant fundraiser reads: “Very suddenly while on holiday for his son’s wedding in Paphos, John passed away, his last moments were spent with his grandkids and loved ones.
“We are asking if anyone can help how big or small to donate towards getting John home back in the Uk and towards funeral costs. We appreciate everyone’s love, support and respect for all the family at this very difficult time.”
Sean, from Cheshire, claims resort staff struggled to locate a defibrillator – and when they finally did, none of them knew how to use it on Sunday May 25. A family member used the device in the end before paramedics arrived, added Sean.
When relatives arrived at hospital, personnel demanded John’s passport details which the family didn’t have to hand because the documents were securely stored in a safe in the hotel room. As they tried to locate the passports, Sean told MailOnline how his mother, Julie, was the only one allowed in to the hospital with his father.
Sean and Vicky decided to go ahead with the wedding. Sean said his dad had been particularly excited for an ice cold beer following the ceremony, and so in his honour they placed a family snap of the retired builder next to a cooler of beer and drank in his honour at the party.