Fitting final ride for biker Lofty (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Fitting final ride for biker Lofty

Stephen VincentSTEPHEN Vincent will make his last journey not in a hearse but in a sidecar.

The funeral of Stephen, known as Lofty, who died last Thursday is tomorrow and his coffin will arrive at Kingsdown Crematorium in a sidecar.

It is a fitting tribute to the gentle giant whose passion in life was motorbikes.

Stephen died at home at Wood Street, Wootton Bassett, aged 53, after battling liver cancer.

He had been suffering from sclerosis of the liver since Easter last year.

His wife Philly, 51, said: "In August he travelled up to Birmingham to have a transplant assessment.

"He was really positive about life and about getting better.

"But at the appointment they told him he had liver cancer."

Before he was ill, Stephen was self-employed.

He and Philly have one son, Jacob, aged six.

"The funeral is going to be a celebration of Stephen's life, which is why we came up with the idea for the funeral," Philly said.

"Stephen would have absolutely loved it."

Since he was a young boy, Stephen loved motorbikes. He moved on from owning a scooter to riding bigger more powerful bikes.

"When he was ill, before we knew about the cancer, we were planning to buy him a trike that he could ride," said Philly.

"But when we realised how ill he was it wasn't possible.

"That is why we decided to have the Harley Davidson and sidecar to bring the hearse to the funeral."

Philly, along with Stephen's sisters Jude Parsons, 48, and Sally Vincent, 44, first realised their unusual idea would be possible at an appointment with the funeral directors.

"I had the initial idea and Jude asked if they supplied motorbikes and that's how it happened," said Philly.

Stephen was nicknamed "Lofty" as a child he had already shot up to 6ft by the age of 13.

"He really was a loveable gentle giant," said Philly. "He loved life and everyone who knew him loved him.

"He was very popular in Swindon and in Wootton Bassett."

Jude said she hopes when the mourners see the motorbike and sidecar there will be huge grins on their faces.

"My sister and I are still known locally as Lofty's sisters," she said.

"With Philly we were with him throughout and this is a great way to say goodbye to him.

"It is an unusual idea but he was such a character that it seems right to this."

One of Stephen's favourite places in Swindon was The Beehive Pub and he was also a member of Greenpeace.

"It's been very hard for us all but now we have the chance to do this for Stephen," said Jude.

The funeral will be held at 3pm tomorrow. On Friday, September 30 the family will be holding a farewell party for him.