A loving tribute has been paid to the Norwich City fan “who put the G in Grandstand” - whose death is being linked with coronavirus.
Canaries supporter David Beaugeard died on Friday at the age of 75 from pneumonia, having been treated as a suspected coronavirus patient in Bath, where he lived.
Mr Beaugeard spent 16 years living in Hingham between 1970 and 1986 while serving as head of graphics at what was then Norwich Arts College - now known as Norwich University of the Arts, during which time he became an avid City fan.
Despite moving away in 1986 to take on the same role at the Bath Spa University, he carried his love of the Canaries away from the county - returning whenever he could to watch the team.
Emma Beaugeard, his daughter said: “He is difficult to describe - he was very, very funny, so creative and just wonderful. He was just the best person, but in all the wrong ways - his turn of phrase was unbelievable and he would turn the simplest sentences into something unbelievably wrong, but so, so funny.
“He was so creative - his design of the letter g was used for BBC Grandstand’s logo so we used to always tease him and say he put the G in Grandstand.
“I remember going to my first game with him in 1972. We were playing Millwall and after the game the fans charged at us so he held me up high above his head to shield me. It was a uniquely brilliant first experience of football.
“We used to stand in the River End and the surge forward whenever Norwich scored was brilliant - probably not very safe, but just brilliant.”
As a result of social distancing measures, Ms Beaugeard was unable to see her father in the final two weeks of his life, but the pair spoke every day.
She said: “It was so tough, but we tried desperately to teach him Facetime. It didn’t really work though, we were always either staring at the ceiling or up his nose.”
Ms Beaugeard’s brother Ben shared a picture of Mr Beaugeard on Twitter over the weekend which brought on a wave of well wishes and tributes from fellow City fans and even some of the players.
She added: “At the moment it feels quite surreal, but in years to come I’m sure all the messages will be such a great comfort to us. It really has meant a lot.”
He leaves wife Sara, 74, children Emma, Ben, Toby and Dominic and six grandchildren.
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