The funeral has been held for a "kind and honest" Nottingham dad who died following an altercation in Spain. On Saturday, October 22, dozens of family members and friends of Tobias White-Sansom gathered at Gedling Crematorium to reminisce and pay their respects.
The 35 year old, affectionately referred to by his family and friends as 'Toby', sadly died on July 31, following an incident near the Boomerang nightclub in Majorca. He had grown up in Radford, and is the brother of Nottinghamshire entrepreneur Maximillian White, who owned a property on the island.
An independent inquiry was launched into his death, and his body was returned to the UK where a second autopsy would be conducted. The family are still looking for answers surrounding his death and described him as a caring person.
Read More: Where you can get walk-in Covid booster vaccine in Nottinghamshire
Ahead of the service, which was lovingly put together by Toby's wife Melissa and other family members, a plane flew over the crematorium from his daughters with a banner attached reading "RIP Daddy, Our Hero." Due to the number of people wanting to pay their respects, the crematorium was filled with many people also filling the corridor and the area outside, and many others watched the service live online.
Throughout the service a number of poems were read, including one written by his two daughters, Jasmine and Poppy, and another by his eldest niece, Frankie. Frankie's poem stated: "This shouldn't have happened to someone like you, everybody's friend, our family's glue."
Toby's step dad, David, spoke during the service to thank everyone on behalf of the family for coming, and also to thank his friends for their friendship and loyalty.
Due to the number of Toby' friends it was impossible for everyone to share their memories, but one, known by everyone as 'Bizzle', spoke on their behalf at the service - sharing some of the many memories he had of him. He described Tobias as "an all rounder" and shared stories of his love of sports like rugby, football and even rollerblading, in addition to his love for poker.
He explained that many of Toby's friends had seen him play, and that he had won big live tournaments before. He said that Toby lived by a few mantras in life, including "sharing is caring" and "work hard, play hard" and how he truly was an exceptional person that had travelled all over the world.
Bizzle said: "To try and express my feelings and all the stories of Toby's life in a limited time, that just feels like a wrong doing to me, I would like to do it in a different way that I'm sure Toby will appreciate." He adapted a song by one of Toby's favourite musicians, which he read aloud as a poem before playing the song through the speakers.
There was also two songs performed live during the service, as well as a heartfelt photo montage showing some of the best times Toby had with his family and friends. Words were also read aloud on behalf of his mum, with her love for her son being described as "completely unconditional." She had also written about how "Toby lit up the room" and how "he made the time for everyone."
During the service it was noted how Toby always "put himself second to others" and loved animals, which his family saw through with his dog Blizzard, and also with a parrot they had for some time. He was also described throughout as "kind", "honest" , "friendly" and "respectful" whether he was being a dad, husband, son, brother, uncle, cousin or friend.
The service ended with a moment of silence and donations were being collected for the UK child bereavement charity, Winston's Wish. After this friends and family gathered outside for the release of 12 white doves.
Read Next:
Loose Women's Denise Welch pays tribute to former EastEnders actress Josephine Melville after death
Division on Boris return as some would welcome him with 'open arms'
Doctor abused position at Queen's Medical Centre to prescribe himself painkillers
The Nottinghamian: Success after success for city restaurant
People speak out over clampdown on bad drivers at major junctions
