Taxi drivers turn out in force to pay final farewell to much-loved cabby who died of Covid-19https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/ ... #gallery12TAXI drivers turned out in force on Tuesday morning to pay their final respects to a much-loved colleague who died of Covid-19. About 180 drivers from several firms throughout east Durham parked their taxis along the route of the funeral cortege of Ian Ridley, 55, and stood keeping their social distance, as it made its way from his home in Cheviot Place, Peterlee.
Most of them then formed a convoy to follow the hearse to Durham Crematorium where a private funeral service was held, due to coronavirus restrictions. His grieving widow Margaret Ridley, spoke of her torture waiting for daily calls from the hospital and her shock and grief when she was told he had died.
She said: "It is is absolutely tragic. There are no words for it. He was just such a gentleman. He was loved by everybody. Mrs Ridley said: "I understand there are thousands of families in the same boat. The support we have have on social media has been overwhelming.
"Ian was one of those people, who if he wasn't your friend and got on talking to you, you would come away being a friend. He would go above and beyond for anybody. "They say no-one is perfect, but Ian was perfect. That is what makes it so hard to come to terms with."
Mrs Ridley said when her husband fell ill he took advice and self-isolated. She said: "He was getting no better. I could see he was restless this night and phoned 111 and answered a few questions. "They told me I was doing the right thing. And then 40 minutes later I phoned back and said "this man is going die in front of us if you don't get some help". Then the ambulance came and that was it.
"On April 2 he got taken to the University Hospital of North Tees." Mrs Ridley, said an hour after he had gone she got a call from the hospital. "I just thought the worst then, " she said. "I made it and they let me see him for about 10 minutes. His oxygen levels were so low. He was struggling. That's when they decided to put him into an induced coma and put him on a ventilator.
He just said to me "I'll fight it. I'll fight it." And that was the last I saw him." Mrs Ridley, who turns 53 on Thursday, said waiting for daily calls for the two weeks was "just absolute torture". She said: "It was awful just sitting waiting by that phone. On the Friday I got told to prepare for the worst. He tried to pull round a little bit, but it was too big a fight for him.
"The medical staff did all they could. I can't thank them enough. They made him comfortable and then he just went on April 15."
Mrs Ridley, said they had been married for two-and-a-half years, but had known each other a lifetime. She said: "I grew up in the next street and we went to the same school. We always bumped into other. "We had our first date in November 2016 and six months after that he proposed and six months later we got married. We were so in love. We were truly soulmates. We were so happy."
"He was the local taxi driver and everybody knew him and loved him. He will be truly missed, by the whole family – the kids and the grandkids."
Paying tribute, independent taxi driver and friend David Walker, said: "Ian worked for 24/7 before going on to drive for Chevron Taxis for 12 years. He had just bought himself an E class Merc, so that he could do executive work for Blue Line. He only had it two months.
"He was just lovely. He never had a bad word for anybody and always be ready to help you. He was highly regarded in the taxi fraternity and in Peterlee. Social media was full of lovely comments about him saying what a nice bloke he was."
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