Steve Beer's Homepages

Celebrating life, love and friendship for

 

Ian Pull

(Dr Peter Ian Pull)

8th December 1944 - 21st September 2026

 

After a long stay in hospital, Ian passed away peacefully due to complications following surgery on his stomach.

 

Funeral at Beckenham Crematorium BR3 4TD

Tuesday 3rd November 2026 4pm.

 

He was kind and thoughtful. We will miss him.

“Grandat Cat ”

A tribute from Steve.

 

Ian was my father-in-law.

When I got married, Ian came as part of the deal.

It took a long time to get to know him but it was definitely worth it.

My life is better having had Ian in it.

 

He struggled with depression and social anxiety all of his life but for those of us who got to know him, he was an intelligent, gentle and caring man, always ready with a self-effacing smile.

 

Through the arrival of his granddaughters and the illness of his daughter, we have become very close.

He would often make the effort to visit us for a meal or just a cup of tea.

He was always keen to visit but never liked to stay too long and usually parted with “I’ll be off now, then”.

He also liked to host lunches for his granddaughters who were great admirers of the sticky rice from his rice cooker.

 

He was a quietly brilliant biochemist who co authored many scientific papers.

He enjoyed passing on his knowledge by teaching others.

He was an avid reader with interests in history, science, current affairs and the odd thriller.

He was very supportive of Natasha and Zoe’s endeavours in the performing arts and kept programs from every musical they were in.

 

He liked to travel, with Thailand and Eastern Europe as his favourite places.

Having been born in the Isle of Man, it held a special place in his heart and we enjoyed a lovely holiday there together where he showed us around.

 

He once looked after our hamster when we went on holiday and he has always been welcoming of our golden retriever, Tamsin.

Several times he took us to the squirrel park where we handed out monkey nuts.

His granddaughters knew him as Grandad Cat because he often owned a cat.

 

We would have liked some more time with you, Grandad Cat.

We loved you.

We will miss you.

 

From the writings of Austrian poet Rainere Maria Rilke

 

We, of the here-and-now, are not for a moment satisfied in the world of time,

Nor are we bound in it;

We are continually overflowing toward those who preceded us,

Toward our origin and toward those who seemingly come after us.

 

In that vast “open” world, all beings are -

One cannot say “contemporaneous,”

For the very fact that time has ceased determines that they all are.

 

Everywhere transience is plunging into the depths of Being ...

It is our task to imprint this temporary, perishable earth into ourselves so deeply, so painfully and passionately,

That its essence can rise again, "invisibly," inside us.

We are the bees of the invisible.

We wildly collect the honey of the visible,

To store it in the great golden hive of the invisible.

 

...

 

Death is the side of life turned away from us and not illuminated.

We must try to achieve the greatest possible consciousness of our existence,

Which is at home in both unlimited realms,

And inexhaustibly nourished by both.

The true form of life reaches through both regions;

The blood of mightiest circulation pulses through both:

There is neither a Here nor a Beyond,

But only the great unity,

In which those beings, who surpass us, are at home.

 

Donations

in memory of Ian can be made to

 

Sense

Creating a world where disabled people are connected and included, no matter what.

Cats Protection

The UK’s leading cat welfare charity, helping thousands of cats every year.