Tributes to Rowan Day, who was loved in his home village of Irnham, Lincolnshire

The family of a man who died in a crash have paid tribute to a soul mate, loving father and grandfather.

Rowan Day died after his motorbike collided with a jackknifed lorry on the A151 near Grimsthorpe.

That was on November 3, 2022 and a court case has now concluded with the sentencing of the lorry driver for causing Rowan’s death by driving carelessly.

Rowan was 63 and returning home to Irnham from a day’s work when he was faced with a lorry across both lanes. He didn’t have time to avoid the crash.

Rowan had been a loving husband for 40 years, having met Claire when they worked together at a hotel in the Lake District. She was his first and true love.

Their only child, Alex, had ‘the perfect relationship’ with his father, according to the family, and Alex has grown up to share his values.

As a family they were strong and loving, and Alex and his wife have added to the family a beautiful girl, Maya, who is three years old.

A family statement, released following the conclusion of the Lincoln Crown Court case, said: “Rowan was over the moon at being blessed with a granddaughter and, as all grandads do, he doted on her, sharing the love the family have grown up knowing.

“That was Rowan all over, a man dedicated to family and the importance of solid foundations.

“He was the keystone to his family and his loss has left a void that can never be filled.”

This love extended to his mother-in-law Joan and his sister-in-law Sandra, both of whom were considered by Rowan as immediate family.

The family statement continued: “Rowan, was someone who everyone loved to be friends with. He was just one of those people everyone warmed to.

“He was a reliable, genuine and an honest person who people were naturally attracted to. He was so calm and compassionate, the sort of person that people trusted immediately.”

Rowan was also considered an upstanding member of Irnham village community and his social life revolved around the local pub, The Griffin.

The village rallied around Claire on discovering the tragic circumstances of Rowan’s death and both Irnham and Corby Glen flew their flags at half-mast on the day of his funeral.

Since his death, Claire has moved to live near her sister and mother in Norfolk because she felt Irnham was too synonymous with her husband.

Rowan was an accomplished motorcyclist who loved it as a hobby and as his mode of transport to commute to work.

He had two bikes, one was his workhorse for his commute and the other was the bike he cherished - his ‘green beasty’, a ZZR 1400 which he rode with the utmost respect and enjoyment.

For Claire to sell the bike was like parting with a part of Rowan, but the money has been set aside for his granddaughter’s future, which Claire feels would have made Rowan proud and happy.

The family statement said life can never be the same for any of the family and mourns the loss of “a truly beautiful man who can be best described as a pillar of strength and the gentlest of giants”.

Claire ends the statement by saying: “Losing Rowan has been the saddest, most upsetting event I have experienced and nothing will ever come close to explaining our heartfelt loss.

“The world is very much a worse place without him and it has lost a true gent of a man who is irreplaceable in so many ways.”