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British man who was ‘happiest he had been' since wife's death dies on holiday

British man who was ‘happiest he had been' since wife's death dies on holiday

Metroa day ago
A British grandad has died in a moped crash while on holiday in Greece.
Craig Bloomer, 54, was visiting the Greek island of Corfu for a family holiday with his two daughters, and their partners and children.
Craig, from Wolverhampton, died after a moped accident near the village of Agios Mattheos on July 26. He was taken to hospital but later pronounced dead, BirminghamLive reported. His body was flown back to England on August 6.
His family said the 'much-loved grandad' was the 'happiest' he had been since his wife Jane, 53, died of cancer two years ago.
His eldest, Rebecca, 32, said: 'Our dad's loss has left a massive hole in our lives.'
Craig ran The Cafe in the Low Hill area of Wolverhampton, alongside his two daughters.
Rebecca added: 'We lost our mum two years ago to cancer. Since then, he has been a bit down in the dumps.
'On holiday, it was the happiest I'd ever seen him, he had a new girlfriend. He was lovely and a proper family man. He liked motorbikes, old cars, going to the pub, snooker, drawing, he was really good at art. More Trending
'We own a cafe business which my dad started running after my mum died. The amount of tributes we've had off people for dad, saying how lovely he was and what a character he was.
'He was like marmite, you either loved him or hated him – and most people loved him.'
Craig's family has created a GoFundMe page to help with costs following his unexpected death – which has raised over £3,000 so far.
His death comes just days after another British tourist was found dead in a Greek hotel's swimming pool.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: Husband of missing woman in Greece said he was 'laughed at' while searching for her
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