My cousin moved to the States in ‘92, and his start-up – in Silicon Valley, California – invented the microwave relay technology that bounced mobile phone signals from one mast to another, thus allowing mobiles to evolve beyond being glorified walky-talkies into what we recognise them as being today.

They were a bunch of inventors, not entrepreneurs, so their start-ups did the boom and bust thing. When my cousin returned to Blighty he developed radio wave technology that could detect tooth cavities – thus eliminating the need for X-rays. He was working on a better way of detecting breast cancer when his Land Rover came off the road just before Christmas.

It’s a funny thing when fate looks down and dictates that someone has to go and that it’s that person, not this one or that one.

The randomness of life; there really are NO deals. No one is deemed more worthy, more deserving. Life really is a random bunch of uncontrollable events in which we all must live, whether we like it or not, without explanation and without reason.

FYI, his life was worthy. He was a physicist working on cancer detection. If a Feeney had to go, and I could have made a deal with whoever decides such things, I would have made them swap our places. In a flash.

Married to Sue for thirty years, Father to three boys, important engineer, king-maker of scrap-wood go-karts in 1970s Manchester, heavy-metal fan and beer enthusiast. It’s been a long time since we built go-karts, Stuart, but we are Feeney’s; we grew up together. I have missed you and will continue to miss you.

You leave a huge hole in the Feeney family, and I am always very proud to talk about your achievements.

RIP.