Son's grief at death of 'absolutely amazing' dad who became immobile on walk
A British father found dead in a ditch in the Jamaica countryside has been described as "a gentle giant" and "absolutely amazing individual".
Robert Dyer, 60, went missing after he set off for a walk on Sunday morning in Ballards Valley, Jamaica, during a retreat in the country. The national army and more than 250 village residents came out and help the emergency services in the search for Robert, his son Lewis said.
After four days alone, largely without the vital medication he needed for his type-2 diabetes, a heart complaint and high blood pressure, Robert was found dead in a hilly, forested area on Thursday.
Robert (left), pictured with Lewis and his family in Spain, has been described as an 'absolutely amazing individual' (Supplied)
The grandfather of three, pictured on his birthday this year, had been abroad for a long-awaited retreat (Supplied)Speaking to Mirror today, heartbroken Lewis, 41, said: "My dad was an absolutely amazing individual. If you had to say what you would describe as an ideal father, you'd probably be describing someone exactly like my dad. My siblings would say the same thing.
"You could literally ask anyone who knows my dad and they'll just tell you the same thing - he was just a great guy. He would do anything for anyone. I'm talking from the perspective of his son, but his brother and sister all have other stories about his compassion and his kindness and all of the roles that he's played in his life as a father, brother, granddad, husband, he's just played them all beautifully.
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"I always admired how, like my granddad, who was also very close to us, my dad was a big, strong guy and had the strength when needed, but he was also gentle and kind and compassionate as well. It's quite rare mix. He was a gentle giant, you could say."
Robert's family, including wife Anne and mum Rose, are heartbroken (Supplied)It is understood Robert, a retired personal trainer from Thamesmead, southeast London, became dehydrated without water for a significant period of time. He became immobile and couldn't move, Lewis understands.
The dad of two, who lives with his family in Málaga, Spain, is arranging for Robert's body to be repatriated back to the UK for his funeral. However, it will first undergo a post-mortem in Jamaica, where the grandfather of three had been visiting his brother and niece for a month-long retreat.
Fighting back the tears today, Lewis, who is a software engineer, added: "You could literally ask anyone who knows my dad and they'll just tell you the same thing. he was just a great guy. He would do anything for anyone. I'm talking from the perspective of his son, but his brother and sister all have other stories about his compassion and his kindness and all of the roles that he's played in his life as a father, brother, granddad, husband, he's just played them all beautifully.
"I feel like if there was any clarity in his last moment he would be at peace now with nothing left behind. Everyone who knew him just loved him and I hope that that helped him go to the next place."
Robert, described today as a 'gentle giant', was a beloved family man (Supplied)Lewis, the oldest of three, was born to Anne and Robert when both of his parents were 17. Robert then took two jobs - at a KFC and a McDonald's - to support his family as he saved ,money for his family to expand and buy their own home in Thamesmead.
"He and my mum have been together all my life and he worked his ass off. He was an overachiever. He worked his a** off to make a better life, and we managed to move from the council flat in Thamesmead to social housing," Lewis continued.
"He managed to buy a place. That was my home growing up with my sister and my brother, and we never had much but we never want much because we had love. We had a loving home. We didn't have a lot but we had what we needed.
"My mum is devastated at the moment. She said to me that she just wanted to hold his hand right at the end... We're gonna bring him back to the UK. Obviously, it'll be frustrating as it might take some time, but we're gonna have to funeral as soon as possible, which might be a while away."
Robert beat prostate cancer earlier this year and, throughout his journey, he worked in his community to raise awareness of the disease and he talked to those with it, empowering men with the confidence to fight the cancer and talk about it.
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