HEARTFELT tributes have been paid to a much-loved father-of-two who died suddenly.
Stephen Reynolds, 44, died at his home in Oakfield Road, Buckley, during the early hours of Friday, May 18, after suffering a heart attack in his sleep.
His distraught family say he was loved by everyone who knew him.
His widow Nyree Reynolds said: “Everyone is just devastated and shocked.
“Stephen doted not just on me and the children, but on everyone. If anyone wanted anything he would be there.
“No one has ever had a bad word to say about him. Everyone loved him.”
Car fanatic Mr Reynolds grew up in Broughton and attended St David’s High School in Saltney.
He has two daughters Teri, 22, and Demi, 13, and was looking forward to becoming a grandfather for the second time, as Teri is due to give birth to a baby boy in eight weeks’ time.
Mrs Reynolds, 40, added: “He was a real family man. He was a very good dad and a very proud grandfather.
“He loved his girls and he would have loved his first grandson, we were both really excited about it.”
Mr Reynolds, who worked for Flintshire Council at its recycling depot in Buckley, had suffered with ill health after suffering two strokes 10 years ago but Mrs Reynolds said he had never had any problems with his heart.
Mr Reynolds complained of feeling pressure in his chest on Thursday afternoon.
He tried to make a doctor’s appointment and visited the chemist, but was unable to see a medical professional.
Mrs Reynolds added: “He was bright red and he had heart burn.
“I told him to go to the doctors but they were on a training day and he went to see the pharmacist, but he was on his dinner so he couldn’t tell him any of the symptoms.
“He picked me up from work and I said ‘let’s go to A&E’, and he said he would it in if got any worse.”
The couple, who have been together for 24 years and were due to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary in September, went to bed early as Mr Reynolds was very tired.
Mrs Reynolds, who works at Buckley Travel, added: “He lay there and he just looked really tired.
“He said to me ‘have you noticed I always put six kisses at the end of my text messages to you,’ and I said ‘why?’ and he said ‘it’s because it’s my lucky number and I’ve always been lucky to have you’.
“Those were his last words to me.”
Mrs Reynolds said she was woken just before midnight by a “horrendous sound”.
“It sounded like he was choking,” she said. “He was just staring at me and was blank, I was shaking him but he wouldn’t wake up.”
Mrs Reynolds and daughter Demi performed CPR before paramedics arrived, but he was pronounced dead at 12.28am.
It was four months to the day since the death of Mrs Reynold’s mother Marlene Wallace.
The couple met when Mrs Reynolds was just 16. She added: “He was my childhood sweetheart.
“I will always remember his beautiful smile and his beautiful blue eyes.
“He was a joker and used to make everyone laugh.”
Family friend Mercedes Bowring added: “He just loved everybody, he was the nicest man I have ever known.”
Mr Reynolds also leaves granddaughter Chanel, four, her brothers Lee and Warren, mother Winifred and father Dave as well as father-in-law Neil, brother-in-law Dean and sisters-in-law Melissa and Lynne.
The funeral takes place at Emmanuel Church, Bistre, on Thursday, May 31 at 10.15am, followed by cremation at Blacon Crematorium at 11.30am.
A wake will take place at the Windmill in Buckley. Everyone who knew him is welcome.
The family has asked that instead of flowers donations be made to Buckley toddler Evie Alana Davies who suffers from a rare form of epilepsy.