Captain Tom’s daughter Lucy recalls the novel way he calmed her wedding jitters in funeral speech

‘I know you will be watching us chuckling,’ said Lucy Teixeira

Captain Sir Tom Moore’s daughter Lucy Teixeira has recalled the moment her father calmed her wedding nerves, while speaking at his funeral.

Captain Tom’s private funeral service took place on Saturday at Bedfordshire Crematorium, and was marked with a flyover from a World War Two-era plane.

A version of Michael Buble’s song Smile, which he recorded especially for the funeral, was played during the ceremony.

Speaking during the service, Captain Tom’s oldest daughter Lucy Teixeira laughed as she told how her father had spoken to her about concrete pipes to calm her wedding day jitters.

She also spoke about the day Captain Tom’s wife died, which was the same day the war veteran had taken his grandson to see the type of tank he had served in during the war at a military museum.

“We often talked about milestones in your life and laughed about the possibility of you reaching your 100th birthday,” she said.

“You said ‘it’s just a number, I don’t feel any different’ and right to the end you ignored the number and kept on going, urging us all to keep on going with the mantra ‘tomorrow will be a good day’.

“You have always influenced me with your strength, your energy, your drive, to get out of bed with a spring in your step and a purpose in mind.

“I know you will be watching us chuckling, saying ‘don’t be too sad as something has to get you in the end’.

“Daddy, I am so proud of you, what you achieved your whole life and especially in the last year, you may be gone, but your message and your spirit lives on.”

Captain Tom died with coronavirus aged 100 earlier this month.

The centenarian was admitted to Bedford hospital on 31 January, a week after he tested positive for Covid-19, following treatment for pneumonia.

His daughters, Hannah and Lucy, said in a statement that, “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our dear father, Captain Sir Tom Moore.

“We are so grateful that we were with him during the last hours of his life; Hannah, Benjie and Georgia by his bedside and Lucy on FaceTime. We spent hours chatting to him, reminiscing about our childhood and our wonderful mother. We shared laughter and tears together.

“The last year of our father’s life was nothing short of remarkable. He was rejuvenated and experienced things he’d only ever dreamed of.”

Captain Tom was knighted by the Queen in July last year, after he raised more than £32million for NHS charities by walking over 100 laps of his garden.