Tributes have poured in for a loving dad-of-three who suddenly died after a night out.
Kevin Orwell and his wife, Joanne, had travelled to Chester to celebrate a friend's birthday when the tragedy struck last weekend. After a 'fantastic night out' they met the following morning for breakfast, but Kev - known as Ozzy to his pals - felt 'rough' so arrived later than the others. .
Still feeling a bit off and blaming it on shots from the night before he got himself a 'hair of the dog' Guinness to try to perk himself up. The couples then made their way back to the Macdonald New Blossoms Hotel to checkout, with Kev picking up a McDonald's breakfast on his way.
But when Joanne arrived just a few minutes later with her friend Vicky, she found her husband collapsed on the floor close to their room, Manchester Evening News reports.
"He was still making a little bit of a noise at this point," said Joanne, from Astley, Wigan. "I think he was still with me and I was saying 'don't leave me Kev'. He looked so peaceful and he didn't look in any pain.
"He didn't have any marks or look like he'd banged anything, it must have been instant."
Jo stayed with Kev while her friend dashed off to get an ambulance and then a person at the hotel, along with one of the couples David and Laurie Peglar - whose birthday they were celebrating - did CPR. Despite their efforts, and those of the paramedics who arrived 20 minutes later, the 41-year-old was pronounced dead.
"I'd been taken off into another room while the CPR carried on," said Jo. "The paramedic eventually came in and said they really needed to make the decision to stop working on him. They said his brain had been starved of oxygen for so long that if he did come round he wouldn't have been a healthy man and Kev wouldn't have wanted that.
"They asked me did I want to lie with him while they waited for the coroner and they said I should take his wedding ring off because if I didn't they may have to cut it off later. I stayed with him and our friend Pete was there too and just didn't let go of his hand."
Eventually Kev, whose own dad Dave died suddenly from a cardiac arrest at the age of 54, was taken to the hospital, while the others had to start notifying his friends and family back home, including Kev's sister Lisa Sarno, who drove to her mum Denise's home in Walkden, Salford, to break the news.
Jo had her family, including cousin Shelley, minding the couple's three boys - Alfie, 12, Jack, eight, and Harry, seven - at their own home, but didn't want to tell them anything until she arrived back.
"I text my family from Chester and just said, 'don't panic', we're going to be a bit late, I'll explain when I get back'," said Jo, 40.
"I didn't want to even say anything in a message in case they were with the boys and broke down reading it, so I said nothing. When we got back I walked in and the boys said 'where's dad?'. I said 'just come and sit down a minute boys'. I told them he'd been poorly that morning and that he wasn't in any pain but he's now with grandad Dave in heaven.
"I don't think Harry really understands," she added. "He was asking when are we going to see him again. I'm concerned about Jack as he seems to be struggling and is just not talking about it, he's shutting himself off. He keeps shutting his door and saying 'I just want to go to sleep'.
"Alfie has been a bit more open and he asked me this morning about it and I said 'we think it was his heart'. I said it was extremely quick and he wasn't in pain. I just feel guilty because we've gone away to Chester and their dad's not returned. We're here and he's still there."
After a 'torturous' wait, the result of the post-mortem examination came through on Monday afternoon showing that Kev died from sudden heart failure, which they'd suspected was probably the case. Despite it being little more than a week since his death, thousands of pounds has already been raised for the family with a gofundme page set up by Kev's cousin Ryan Tobin.
It's a huge relief for Jo, who described how they were struggling to cope after being financially 'ruined' during the pandemic. With Kev made redundant from his job as a Sky engineer in October 2021, he'd set himself up as a tiler, but with the cost of living crisis impacting on households, work was hard to come by.
Jo, a self-employed beautician, had also been unable to work throughout the pandemic, so it had taken its toll.
"Kev put all of his redundancy into his tiling courses and buying equipment," said Jo. "But there just wasn't enough work and people had started cancelling jobs. This year he was talking about finding permanent employment.
"He was absolutely amazing, so talented. He was an electrician and joiner by trade so he could do all sorts. He converted our garage and loft and he built the cabin outside which I work from. He really was the best dad and husband you could ask for, he'd do anything for us. I know people always say that when someone dies but he really was the best.
"He was the best cook and made everything for us from scratch. He went without to give us everything. He never bought himself any new clothes, he would give you his last penny. And he was always helping other people out."
The former Joseph Eastham High School pupil, who grew up in Walkden, had a number of passions, including Manchester United and his beloved Tyldesley Rugby Union Football Club, where his two eldest sons play on the junior teams. At the weekend a minute's silence was held before the Under 13s game against Bolton and Alfie was clapped onto the pitch by families and players.
Jo, said she wouldn't be coping without the support of those around them, including everyone at the club and all their friends and family. "It's overwhelming," she said. "We never wanted anything, we didn't expect anything, but it's so lovely that so many people are thinking of us. Even the Bolton team on Sunday turned up with a white England rugby shirt for Alfie, which I want to thank them for.
"I just want to say a massive thank you to all out family and friends, especially the Tobin side of the family, there's no way we could have got through this without them."
Jo knows there is a long road ahead for her and the boys and is determined to keep Kev's memory well and truly alive.
"We are such a close family and as well as our three boys, Kev doted on his two nieces Jessica and Anna," she said. "Only recently he was boarding the loft and he got all his CDs down and was showing them to Alfie. Now Alfie has got all those in his room."
Alfie, a pupil at Fred Longworth High School in Tyldesley, paid his own tribute to his dad.
"He was the best dad," he said. "He taught me how to cook, he took me to football games, he took me to rugby every week, he was always there for me. He tried his best at everything he did for me and my brothers. He got me everything I asked for because he loved me so much.
"He introduced me to his favourite music and last week gave me all of his old original rap CDs which I love. He helped me with my homework when I was struggling, he was always there for me and my brothers. He gave me his autographed Manchester United shirts and built shelves in my bedroom so it was perfect for me, he was the best dad ever. We love and miss him everyday."
Kev's funeral will be taking place at 1pm on Tuesday, March 7, at Holy Family Church, Chaddock Lane, Astley. Anyone wanting to pay their respects is welcome, but with a large number of mourners expected, the family has asked that close friends and family be given space inside.
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