Tea-loving granddad laid to rest next to floral tribute of favourite drink
An ex-builder known for drinking up to 20 cups of Yorkshire Tea a day was buried beside a floral version of his favourite brew.
Leslie Keith Dee, who died last month aged 73, discovered his love of a cuppa while working as a bricklayer in Gloucestershire.
Grandson Chad Dee, 28, said: ‘Yorkshire Tea was his preferred brand more than anything else, and he used to buy 1,200 bags at a time.
‘We had traditional tributes as well, but then we wanted stuff that was personal to him.
‘He was a wonderful man, so obviously we wanted to show everyone how lovely he was.’
According to Chad, Leslie took his tea ‘strong, with a dash of milk and two sugars’.
The floral tribute was designed by local company Plantation Florist, who used real flowers to create a box of the popular tea brand in its signature red and green colours.
Chad continued: ‘We went to the florist and told her what we wanted, and asked her, “Could you do this?”
‘They said, “Hmm, I don’t know,” but then they did it and pulled it off.’
The tribute was laid at his grandfather’s graveside during his funeral on January 28, attended by 150 people.
The 28-year-old added he believes it was one of the first of its kind, after searches for ‘Yorkshire Tea tribute’ online generated no results.
A granddad to 30 grandchildren, Leslie was described as a ‘big family man’ by his relatives.
Chad said: ‘He was caring and he was kind. He’d do anything for his children and grandchildren.
‘He’d sometimes cough and go, “oh my throats dry”, just because he was a joker, as then we’d have to make him a cup of tea.’
In a post on social media responding to the story, Yorkshire Tea tweeted: ‘Thank you to Leslie’s grandson Chad for sharing this story with us.
‘And thank you to Leslie for drinking our brews all these years.’
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