'He was amazing and I miss him very much' - Wife pays tribute to Shropshire firefighter husband
A popular father-of-two who helped to save many lives during his career as a firefighter has lost his short battle with pancreatic cancer.
Jason Nash, 44, from Ellesmere, worked for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service for 16 years and had lived in Ellesmere for 26 years.
He leaves his wife, Jayne and two daughters, Louise, 32 and Chelsea, 23 and grand-daughters, Eren, 11 and Lexi, 10.
Mrs Nash, who works as a support worker, said: "Jason progressed to crew manager with the fire service and went beyond the call of duty for the job he loved.
"He was only diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the second week of November, he had been to the doctor complaining of problems but they had previously found nothing wrong with him.
"This time though he was fast-tracked but the cancer had already spread to his liver and his lymph nodes.
"It didn't really sink in to him, or to us fully, even towards the end.
"We called him 'Johnny Five Stay Alive' like the robot in the Short Circuit movie.
"We nursed him at home, with the support of some amazing friends working night shifts and ShropDoc, to help manage the pain when it needed topping up and he died on January 15 at 8.20pm on a Sunday night.
"We had been together for 26 years. Jason was 17 when we met at the Black Lion Hotel, Ellesmere and I was 26.
"Jason was a top man and was everybody's friend.
"He could talk to anyone and he was a bit of a party animal. He really knew how to enjoy himself.
"He also worked for Lloyd's Animal Feed at Llynclys, near Oswestry.
"He was amazing and I miss him very much.
"One of my friends has bought me a night-sky star called Jason and another, a teddy bear."
A celebration of Jason's life is being held at Shrewsbury Crematorium on Saturday at 9.15am, arranged by EJ Edgerton and Son – Funeral Directors in Ellesmere.
"Jason loved football and Southampton FC," said Jayne, "so anyone attending is welcome to wear their own favourite football shirts and bright colours. We want to celebrate how amazing Jason was."
Donations can go towards Ellesmere Fire Station and/or The Meres Day Centre.
