Family pays tribute to 'life and soul of the party' dad of five who died at the scene of collision on A45 in Northamptonshire

Stuart Townsend, from Daventry, died when his black Honda Civic car, a blue Toyota CH-R and a maroon DAF truck were in collision on the A45 Flore Bypass at around 3.50pm on Thursday February 12.

The 43-year-old was a devoted dad to Paisley, aged 22, Stuart, aged 21, Aaron, aged 17, Calvin, aged 16, and 10-year-old Lilly-May, whose lives have been left shattered by the sudden loss of their father.

He was also a son to Stuart and Wendy, a twin brother and sibling to his other two brothers and two sisters, as well as an uncle and great uncle. Stuart’s sudden death has left his family devastated and is going to be sorely missed by all his loved ones.

On behalf of his family, Stuart’s children, who were the centre of his world, have issued the following tribute of their dad via Northamptonshire Police.

They said: “Dad was very family-orientated and was the life and soul of the party. He didn’t need to have a drink to have a good time and would be the first and last person on the dance floor.

“He was a typical dad who was always there to share his love, guidance and to celebrate the milestones in our lives. When Stuart turned 18, he took him for his first legal drink and was planning to do the same with Aaron in May.

“Dad used to take Lilly-May to the park on her bike and push her on the swings or on the zip-wire, and despite being a non-swimmer, would always go into the sea with us when he took us on holiday.

“He loved his practical jokes and always thought his “dad jokes” were funny, but as Lilly-May always told him – we are laughing at you, not with you – which just encouraged him to tell more bad jokes!

“Dad loved his sport. He was a huge Manchester United fan and liked watching the snooker and darts. He was also a massive Country and Western fan – Alan Jackson was his favourite artist – and loved his coffee and roast dinners.

“We still cannot believe that he has gone. No child should have to experience this kind of loss, especially so suddenly, and we are all trying to process our grief while supporting each other. Dad’s death has left us all in shock and utterly heartbroken.”

Investigations into the collision continue and detectives would still like to hear from anyone who may have witnessed it, or who may have relevant dash-cam footage and are yet to come forward.

Anyone with information is asked to email [email protected] or alternatively call the Drivewatch Hotline on 0800 174615 or Northamptonshire Police on 101, quoting incident number: 26000086362.