Supporting Jan Barley’s Loss

On Saturday, I received a phone call from the Police asking me to come and be with my friend, Jan, following the tragic death of her partner David.  

Jan is a writer, so her way of dealing with her emotion is to write.  She posted the below on her LinkedIn page and as I create this fundraiser on her behalf, she has had 60,000 views and hundreds of interactions and amazing comments.

So many people have offered all kinds of help and a good percentage of those have requested a GoFundMe page to help financially, as David's death has left Jan in a very vulnerable financial position.  

This fundraiser will help Jan pay for her bills for the next couple of months which David normally looked after.

Jan's post is below...
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This is the toughest thing I'm ever going to write. I'm writing it because I need your help and support. I feel honoured how much you have supported me already.

But today, I am completely broken.

Yesterday, David, my fiance went for a ride on his bike. Five minutes from returning home, he was involved in a road incident.

He braked hard and somersaulted over his bike. When he landed, he broke his neck, and died instantly.

I'd had a feeling, was panicking as he'd been gone too long and wasn't answering my calls. I heard an ambulance and air ambulance & then the police turned up.

He was the love of my life, we'd been together 18, very happy years. My friend is with me and our mutual friends are being amazing.

But I feel very alone, bereft. I'm in deep shock.

During lockdown, we'd been so happy. He was decorating an empty cottage 30 yards away. Every day, he'd joke about the commute. And he loved being at home with me, and the dogs, for lunch.

We were always laughing, from day one, to the last day. Now, I feel very alone, bereft without him and in deep shock. Our friends and his customers are reeling from the loss of the kindest, goofiest man you could ever meet.

He helped so many people. David was the man who'd stop and help someone if their car had broken down, as everyone else drove by.

I want to ask you to bear with me, as I process this I won't be as active as I have been. Financially, it's a bit of a mess, but mentally & spiritually I am broken to the core.

I don't know why I'm writing this. Perhaps it may go towards accepting the reality. I just felt I needed to do it.

Jan Barley