Ziggy McAllister

********PLEASE READ*************

ZIGGY was a fun-loving, happy-go-lucky kinda guy and he loved Monty Python, especially THE LIFE OF
BRIAN. I have seen him in tears of laughter watching the video, and singing this song, so be
prepared for it....... It's Ziggy's kind of humour. (Many thanks to Maggie Barclay for adding the
song).

MY ZED, MY BEST FRIEND, MY ZIGGY ANGEL BABY, OH GOD, HOW I WISH YOU WERE HERE, MY BABY BOY, MY VERY
SOUL. YOU WERE MY HERO TOO, MY GORGEOUS BABY SONSHINE. THANK YOU FOR OUR LIFE TOGETHER, IT WAS
BEAUTIFUL TO HAVE YOU AS A DIAMOND SON, I WAS PRIVILEDGED. IT JUST DIDN'T LAST LONG ENOUGH.

Ziggy was an exceptionally loving, generous and caring person to anyone who ever met him. Anyone who
ever needed him, any time, any day, any problem, he was there. Nothing ever phased him, he helped
anyone who needed him, with love, care and time for any situation. He should have been nominated as
a Saint for what he did for me and his Beloved Grannie.

♥ ´*•.¸(*•.¸♥ ¸.•*´)¸.•*´♥
♥«´¨`•° ♰ ZIGGY ♰ °•´¨`»♥
♥¸.•*(¸.•*´♥ `*•.¸)`*•.¸♥

◄███▓▒░░ ♰♰ ZIGGY MY DIAMOND ♰♰ ░░▒▓███►

ZIGGY McALLISTER was born after 83 HOURS of 'QUITE DIFFICULT' labour @ 7.20pm on 23 September 1970
in Motherwell Maternity, one month premature. He weighed 216 kilos,(4lbs 12oz), and was a tiny wee
boy. I was told he might not survive. Ziggy was a gorgeous wee thing, we were joined by more than
maternal love, we were soulmates.
Ziggy never knew he should have had a twin sister.
Caroline was given her wings in the 13th week of the pregnancy, which progressed till the 36th week
when I had my Ziggy. My mum was the surviving twin in her family, and she advised me not to let
Ziggy know about Caroline. (His dad didn't even know, as he didn't really care)!!! I did not need to
tell Ziggy about Caroline, he told me when he was only about 2 years old (in his squeaky wee baby
words) that he thought a bit of him was not there and it gave him a sore head.. My mum and I were
the only ones who knew what he meant. I'm sure he knew, that Caroline should have been there with
him.

Ziggy attended both St. Aidan's Primary & High Schools with his brother, Christopher Rooney, (also
deceased). Ziggy died at home @ 10.47pm on 27 Jan 1998. He was 27, and always lived at home with me,
his mam.

Ziggy suffered with Projectile Vomiting all his life, and although he usually managed to control it
when it happened, for some reason it took him after his supper that night.

He was watching TV with friends in his bedroom, when all of a sudden he dashed into the bathroom
clutching at his throat and collapsed. His friend alerted me to what he described as 'A funny turn'.
(Ziggy was born a funny turn)! He was lying on the bathroom floor with his feet jammed against the
door, and we couldn't get in to him. His friend phoned for an ambulance, meanwhile I managed to
squeeze in the gap in the door, but it was too late to do anything for him, and he simply passed
away.

2 Ambulances arrived within minutes, but he was already gone. Despite the dedication and effort of 4
Paramedics he could not be revived. They worked on him for a full hour, but he had asphyxiated on
his supper of spaghetti & toast! It had been inhaled due to the fact he simultaneously took a bout
of hiccoughs, and he could not breathe past the obstruction in his lungs. Nothing could have saved
him that night, and I felt so guilty, not being able to rescue my baby son from that hell of pain
and agony.

Ziggy was my best friend, my soulmate, we went everywhere together, and we knew what the other was
thinking just by a 'look'. He was a unique kinda guy, he scrutinised life through well filtered eyes
and stood no idiots in his way. He loved his family and friends, and was always there if you needed
him. The neighbours all knew they could rely on him to assist if they needed a helping hand with
anything.

Just before his 5th birthday I asked him what he would like as a present, he asked if he could have
a Tartan Budgie, as he was a Bay City Rollers Fan. When he was about 7 I asked what he wanted to be
when he left school. His answer, after a few minutes of deep thought, was "Either a Binman or a
Motherwell Supporter". Always easy pleased, that was Ziggy!!

I had 5 operations between 1990 & 1997 and Ziggy nursed me through the recovery of each one.
Without one single moan, groan or complaint, my boy did his best for me.

I was only Mam, but he did it for me. He cooked every meal I had and helped me to go for a shower
and wash my long hair. He wouldn't go out with his pals because it meant leaving me on my own. He
gave up on a lot of fun to be with me, and we grew even closer because of his dedication.

He also helped to look after his beloved Grannie, who had cancer and was housebound and eventually
bedbound. He gave up his job as a Security Guard and went to make her lunch every day, as I was at
work. He collected her pension, did her shopping, built the coal fire up and filled up the coal
buckets. He cleaned the windows, hung clean curtains, changed the bed-linen and did all he could to
make her cosy. She adored him. I will never forget the day Mum got a visit from her new Home-Help,
who had never met Ziggy. They met in the hallway, she nearly fainted at the sight of him! Who are
You, she asked, thinking he was some rogue in to rob Mum. More to the point, Who are You? he
replied. Ziggy, unlike his Designer Label brother Chris, looked like an Oxfam or Jumble Sale
Reject, with his tatty old biker's jacket, jeans with holes and patches everywhere, and big biker's
boots. Not the ideal picture of the grandson my mum talked about non-stop, or what the Home-Help had
imagined!!! But his Heart was Mega-sized, especially for his Grannie. xxx

Till the day he died, he was a home-loving type, he didn't drink or go out to pubs or clubs and was
happy on his Honda 250 or in his room watching tv or listening to his Heavy Metal tapes, at full
volume!

His room was an archive of all sorts of wonderful Ziggy-type inventions, Edward T. Head (Iron
Maiden) sculptures made of expanding foam, half a snooker cue to turn the tv off, cos he couldn't be
bothered moving to do it! He even had a headphone socket built into the base of his home-made King
Size bed because I complained of the windows rattling in the frames when he played his music! He had
11 speakers wired up in various parts of the house so his music followed him wherever he went, even
the bathroom and his bike shed.

The list of 'inventions' was a funny sight to see, not a day went past that he came up with some new
Ziggy-labour saving device! He even had corks around the skip of his baseball cap (like the Aussies)
to keep the midgies off when he went on jaunts down the woods behind our house. What a boy he was, I
could never keep up with his madness! I truly miss that madness, it's what kept me sane.

His hobbies were music, motorbikes, sketching, DIY inventions, his cats Herbie & Woodie and having
as much fun as he could squeeze into a day!

The engine of his beloved Honda CB 250 was still in his room months after he died, he had taken it
there because it was too cold (during Dec & Jan) to work on it in the shed he had built for it.

He was a fun-loving, laid-back guy, had a Wicked sense of humour, and loved a good joke. It's his
laid-back attitude and absolute love of life which I will never forget, he was so laid back he was
almost horizontal.

His brother Chris was murdered on 16 April 2008, (see also Christopher Rooney site on GTS). They ARE
full blood brothers, with the same parents, but Ziggy used my maiden name and not his own after his
16th birthday. I know my sons are together for all Eternity. R.I.P. MY BEAUTIFUL SONS. I WILL LOVE
AND MISS YOU TILL I JOIN YOU, AND THEN WE CAN HUG FOREVER.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ZIGGY - DEARLY LOVED AND MISSED BY ALL
WHO KNEW HIM.

THANK YOU TO ALL MY GTS FRIENDS & RELATIVES WHO HAVE LIT CANDLES AND LEFT TRIBUTES AND GIFTS FOR
ZIGGY. IT MEANS SO MUCH TO KNOW YOU ALL CARE. I LOVE YOU ALL.