Wedding wish coming true for dying granddad

3:33pm Thursday 24th July 2008

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A great-grandfather is to fulfil a dying wish by marrying his partner of 36 years after being given just a year to live.

Alan Holgate, 67, and Jean Jennings, 76, plan to tie the knot on August 2.

The couple never felt the need to marry but decided to take their vows after Mr Holgate had lung cancer diagnosed .

The father-of-six, grandfather- of-15 and great-grandfather- of-four had lung cancer diagnosed in April.

He said: “I’m very happy to do it. It makes me feel our time together was worth it. When I go Jean will still have memories and she can feel proud to be called Mrs Holgate.”

The couple met two years after Jean broke up with her then husband. Mr Holgate, a motor mechanic, moved in with Jean and her six children.

Jean’s youngest daughter Mandy Jennings, 45, said: “We didn’t understand what was happening and I made life hell for Alan.

“But he put food on the table and clothes on our backs. For a bloke to stick with a woman with six kids is pretty rare.

We’ve got a lot to thank him for.”

The couple, who live in Hunston Close, Woodingdean, Brighton, discussed marriage over the years but never made it up the aisle.

Mr Holgate said: “We talked about getting married years ago.

I proposed to Jean in a pub. She got embarrassed because there were so many people around and she said no.

“We just left it at that because we’ve both been happy as we are. Then we were sitting down watching TV and, because it’s a leap year, Jean turned around and asked me. I said we might as well.

“We knew it didn’t matter if we didn’t get married because we love each other. We know people who have lived together for 20 years but broke up within months of getting married.

“But, as things have worked out I have started to look at things differently. I was diagnosed with lung cancer in April and the doctors told me I had 12 months to live.

“Although I’ve had radiotherapy, they’ve had to stop it for now because I have emphysema.

I just go from day to day but I will be happy to do this one thing.

“It will be a sign we’ve meant something to each other all this time and getting married is the ultimate symbol of love.”

The couple plan to have a small wedding at Brighton Register Office followed by a few drinks at their local pub.

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