Pictured: British grandfather and ‘friend to everybody’ who died while snorkelling during dream cruise holiday to St Kitts

• Andrew Evans was on a holiday on cruise ship in Caribbean and went snorkelling
• Tourist spotted Mr Evans had collapsed in the water at Peninsular Cove, St Kitts 

A British grandfather who was a ‘friend to everybody’ died on a dream cruise ship holiday in St Kitts while snorkelling.

Theatre actor Andrew Evans, 60, a father-of-two, was on a family holiday onboard P&O’s Britannia cruise ship in the Caribbean.

He went out snorkelling before a holidaymaker spotted that he had collapsed in the water at Peninsular Cove, St Kitts.

The fellow tourist pulled him from the sea before trying to revive him with CPR – but Mr Evans was tragically pronounced dead.

He was part of a large group holidaying with his wife and daughter on a 14-day trip from Barbados to Southampton.

Theatre actor Andrew Evans, 60, was on a family holiday onboard P&O’s Britannia cruise ship in the Caribbean. He went out snorkelling before a holidaymaker spotted that he had collapsed in the water at Peninsular Cove, St Kitts

He was part of a large group holidaying with his wife Marie (pictured left) and daughter on a 14-day trip from Barbados to Southampton

Colleague Ann Benjamin said Mr Evans went on to perform in a string of amateur dramatics shows with The Academy group (pictured left to right: Andrew Ryder, Craig Stock, Marc Nicholls and Mr Evans)

Mr Evans, of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, died of a cardiac arrest on March 27 this year – just one month away from his birthday.

Tributes have now been paid to the ‘doting grandfather’ who had worked in IT for Carmarthenshire Council.

Colleague Ann Benjamin said Mr Evans went on to perform in a string of amateur dramatics shows with The Academy group.

She said: ‘He was the sort of person where, if you asked him to do something, he would do it. He was one of the stalwarts of The Academy, he was there, he would help out, and be involved in doing everything – running around organising this, organising that.

‘He played many parts in the shows – he liked playing the panto animal, he liked the interaction with everyone, that’s what he liked – he had a lot of fun. He gave most things a go.

‘You couldn’t ask for a better friend, he was there if you needed him, you didn’t have to ask twice. That was at work, at home, in the theatre, anything to do in your life.

‘He was well loved by so many people. He was a gentleman, and so thoughtful to everyone around him. He would always be thinking, how can I help someone if they’re in trouble, and that was just his nature. It just came from him, it wasn’t something he had to work at.

Mr Evans, of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, died of a cardiac arrest on March 27 this year – just one month away from his birthday

Tributes have now been paid to the ‘doting grandfather’ who had worked in IT for Carmarthenshire Council (pictured with his wife Marie in Las Vegas)

Ann Benjamin said: ‘He was the sort of person where, if you asked him to do something, he would do it. He was one of the stalwarts of The Academy, he was there, he would help out, and be involved in doing everything – running around organising this, organising that’ (pictured: Mr Evans in shoq costume with Marc Nicholls)

She added: ‘He played many parts in the shows – he liked playing the panto animal, he liked the interaction with everyone, that’s what he liked – he had a lot of fun. He gave most things a go’ (pictured: Mr Evans and Nick Benjamin in Goldilocks and The Three Bears)

‘He was somebody who was known by a lot of people because he was always willing to help. He was taken way too early. He had so much more to give in as much as he just loved giving.’

Close friend David Hurford added: ‘He was much loved by so many different people. He was a wonderful family man and a doting granddad, and he loved being a granddad. He was always telling me and other people what it was like and all kinds of little stories.

‘Andrew was very skilled and interested in many, many things, he could turn his hand to so many things. You would never ever be lost for a conversation with Andrew.’

Mr Hurford said his friend also had a ‘revolutionary’ role in transforming hospital radio in Llanelli.

He said: ‘We worked with the engineers of Hywel Dda and built a superb infrastructure which revolutionised the way hospital radio works. I take my hat off to him. He did an enormous amount of work there.’

Mr Evans is set to be laid to rest at his funeral on May 4.

Source: Read Full Article