A heartfelt farewell to a well loved comic genius

At the funeral of the great Norman Wisdom, on the afternoon of Friday 22nd October, his son Nick movingly described him in a moving tribute, as "a great family man".

Speaking to the congregation at St George's Church, Douglas, Nick said: "He was a very caring and loving father and we knew he was always loved by the public. He was a unique person. He always said he was a lucky little devil."

In his tribute Nick related stories to an entranced audience of his and his sister's upbringing with his father. It was, he said, "a very unusual life" especially in the 1950s and 60s, Norman Wisdom's golden years. Nick and his sister spent many hours in Pinewood Studios, and their father even persuaded the director of one of his films to take them on as extras.

Nick proudly told of the proud moment when his dad appeared on Broadway, where he "danced his heart out on the stage. These appearances were Norman's best moments in show business, he said.

One lasting memory for Nick was when Norman told his son that he would not allow him to watch the World Cup Final on television as a punishment for having recently spent far too much time watching the TV. However, he then said: "You're not going to watch the final on television - we're going to Wembley to see the match itself".

Movingly Nick told the audience; "In the space of seconds he had brought out two of my deepest emotions - he was able to get the very best out of every moment."

The mourners had to laugh when he told them the epithet that his father always wanted to have on his gravestone: "Phew he was old".

Sir Norman Wisdom died at the age of 95 on 4 October at Abbotswood Nursing Home in Ballasalla. He was similar to Charlie Chaplin in that he had a special talent for the music hall genre of humour which appealed to people of all cultures and social classes. In 1995 he was awarded the OBE and in 2000 he was knighted.

He rose to fame due to his natural genius and overcame a difficult and poverty stricken early childhood which says a lot for his formidable character. In older age Norman kept himself fit through jogging, golf and even played football. Even in his 80s he continued to work hard physically in his ongoing stage act. His longevity appears may be attributed to his exceptionally strong character and positive attitude to life.

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